(My Sportsbook) - The Lions have struggled all season long and they will try to change that momentum Sunday, when they finish up their campaign against the playoff-bound St. Louis Rams at Ford Field.

The Lions are fortunate to be home after losing their NFL-record 24th consecutive road contest last Sunday, 20-14, in Carolina. Detroit, which hasn't won on foreign turf since Dec. 17, 2000, moved past the 1981-84 Houston Oilers for most successive road losses.

"It eats me alive and makes me absolutely sick to my stomach to think about it," said Lions guard Ray Brown. "Everybody on the team is part of the streak and it's nothing to be proud of."

Detroit has been a much better team in the comforts of home, winning four of seven games. However, the Lions' lone home victory over a plus-.500 squad came on Thanksgiving, when they outlasted Green Bay, 22-14. Detroit did show some life in the fourth quarter last Sunday, registering a pair of touchdowns -- one from the special teams and one from the defense -- to pull within six points.

"It's something we can build on and be positive about," said Lions defensive back Terrence Holt. We didn't break the streak but let's just go on and play ball and finish the season strong against the Rams and look forward to next year."

Terrence Holt could end up facing his brother Torry in coverage on occasion this week. Torry, who leads the league with 112 catches for 1,642 yards and 12 touchdowns, will be a major challenge for his younger brother.

"He's rolling real good this season," Terrence Holt said about his brother. "I am just mad that the buck will have to stop this week. He has 10, 100-yard receiving games this year and we want to make sure he doesn't get No. 11 against us."

The Lions are 15th in the NFC and 29th in the league against the pass (237.8 ypg). Detroit allowed Carolina's average passing offense to post 260 yards through the air last week. Terrence Holt led the secondary with seven tackles and an interception.

Detroit's defense did hold the Panthers to 124 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.4 ypc) behind linebacker Boss Bailey, who tallied a team-high 12 tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown. Bailey is third on the squad with 83 stops this season.

WHERE'S THE OFFENSE?

Detroit's pass offense was anything but effective against the Panthers, as Joey Harrington and Mike McMahon combined to complete just 7-of-19 passes for only 53 yards and an interception. McMahon's playing time, which resulted in just four completions for 36 yards and a pick, was planned as the Lions are giving the restricted free agent-to-be an opportunity to earn a spot on next season's roster.

"There wasn't much going on when Joey was in there, or Mike," Mariucci said. "We were unable to make drives happen, we had some false-start penalties, they had some timely blitzes that got us, we had a couple guys open but couldn't get it to them."

The major problem for the Lions' 27th-rated pass offense (183.3 ypg) is its lack of receiving weapons. With rookie Charles Rogers out for the season (collarbone), Detroit has had to lean on Az-Zahir Hakim to carry the load. Hakim, who is better as a third receiver, has caught 44 balls for 391 yards and three touchdowns on the year.

The two quarterbacks will likely rotate again in this contest. Meanwhile, rookie running back Artose Pinner will receive a bulk of the carries as he is getting a shot at garnering the starting spot for next season. Pinner managed 22 yards on 12 attempts (1.8 ypc) against the Panthers.