The opportunities were there for the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions, but they couldn’t capitalize on them. Every game has had missed opportunities for both teams, but the Rams will be kicking themselves for six specific plays in their overtime loss.

If they execute these plays well, they’ll likely beat the Lions and start the season 1-0. From a botched fourth-down conversion to a costly penalty by a rookie defender, these six plays cost the Rams the most against the Lions at Ford Field.

Failed fourth-and-4 from the 75-foot Lions

It’s hard to fault Sean McVay for going for it in this situation. The score was 3-3 and the Lions aren’t a team you necessarily beat on field goals, so McVay wanted to stay aggressive and go for six instead of settling for three. It was still early in the game, with about six minutes left in the second quarter, so they had plenty of time to make up for it.

It’s just too bad the ball went through Cooper Kupp’s hands as he tried to make a catch against tight coverage. If he had caught the first one, the Rams could have been up 10-3 instead of letting the Lions lead 10-3 on the ensuing drive.

Interception of Matthew Stafford in the end zone

This play was even more costly than the failed fourth-down conversion. The Rams had nothing to do on offense in the first half, but they put together a nice drive before halftime. On second-and-goal from the 8, Stafford threw a pass to Tyler Johnson in the end zone that was intercepted by Kerby Joseph, giving the Rams at least three points off the board.

If that pass isn’t complete, the Rams at worst run one more play and settle for a field goal to make it 10-6. Better yet, they could have scored on third down to tie the game. An interception was the worst possible outcome.

Jameson Williams’ 52-yard touchdown catch

Tre’Davious White had a decent game, but this was a rep he didn’t want to see again. He got burned on a double-move, grabbed Williams and still left him wide open running down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown, despite White being flagged for illegal contact.

It also came on third-and-3 from the Lions’ own 48-yard line, so it’s not like they were within field goal range. If White sticks with Williams and forces an incompletion, the Lions will either punt or go for it on fourth down instead of taking a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter.

AJ Arcuri’s holding penalty on Jordan Whittington’s touchdown

It’s always painful when penalties take points off the board. Arcuri’s holding penalty on the goal line when the Rams executed a perfect jet sweep to Whittington on second-and-1 was a backbreaker. It denied the touchdown and put the Rams on second-and-11, forcing them to take the field goal instead of a touchdown — a four-point swing. Whittington’s touchdown would have tied the game at 17 and given the Rams even more momentum.

Warren McClendon Jr.’s False Start in the Fourth Quarter

Leading 20-17, the Rams got the ball back with a chance to really decide the game late in the fourth quarter. From their own 20-yard line, they had second-and-12 with 2:31 to play. There’s no guarantee they would have converted the next two plays, but McClendon got a false start and made it second-and-17.

A 7-yard run by Kyren Williams set up third-and-10, but the bad news was that Williams went out of bounds instead of staying in, forcing the Lions to use their timeout. Stafford’s third-and-10 pass was incomplete, so the Lions got the ball back with two timeouts and 2:11 left in the game, and eventually fired a tying field goal.

Personal foul by Kamren Kinchens

On the final drive of regulation, the Lions got a huge assist from rookie Kinchens. Sam LaPorta caught an 18-yard pass over the middle and Kinchens landed a helmet-to-helmet hit on the tight end, leading to a 15-yard penalty. So the Lions went from their own 36 to the Rams’ 31 in one play, putting them within field goal range while trailing by just three points.

It was one of only five snaps Kinchens played, but it was a costly one.