The Green Bay Packers took advantage of an early touchdown by Josh Jacobs and gained strength in the second half with two takeaways from Xavier McKinney, two touchdowns from Tucker Kraft and a delayed defensive stop to defeat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
It was Green Bay’s first win over an NFC opponent and improved the Packers’ record to 3-2 after five weeks. Matt LaFleur’s team hosts the Arizona Cardinals next week.
Here are three takeaways from the Packers’ victory over the Rams:
1. The offense remains explosive but inconsistent
The Packers gained 187 of 323 yards on seven thrilling drives – a 66-yard catch by Tucker Kraft, a 53-yard catch by Jayden Reed, a 21-yard catch by Josh Jacobs, runs of 11 and 13 yards by Jacobs, an 11-yard run by Reed and a 12-yard rush by Jordan Love. Explosive plays were common for the Packers – in Week 5, they finished first in total catches of 20 or more yards and runs of 10 or more yards. However, bottom-up consistency needs to improve. Despite four explosive runs, the Packers still averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. Love averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt on his remaining 24 attempts, excluding 66 yards to Kraft and 53 yards to Reed. Dontayvion Wicks doesn’t stop catching. Reed fell on the third try. The Packers received three false start penalties. Love was sent off twice, including once on third down, and was also thrown out of bounds for a loss of yards. The attack looks like it’s on the verge of breaking out in a huge way, but consistency – the difference between good and great – proves to be a huge final hurdle.
2. The defensive front needs to be better
To truly deserve a championship, the Packers defense must wake up from its early slumber. Matthew Stafford was sacked three times and pressure from Edgerrin Cooper helped the Packers get off the field on a game-clinching fourth down, but outside of the first half of the Tennessee game, the offense didn’t look consistently disruptive. Increasingly, Jeff Hafley has to bring in extra defenders to create pressure, and the four-man rush ends with too many quarterbacks throwing from spotless pockets. The Rams lacked tackling and couldn’t consistently take advantage. But most good teams will, and the Packers plan to play huge games against good teams in January. Rashan Gary didn’t have a quarterback hit and played calmly again on Sunday. He needs to escape and quickly.
3. Never underestimate an away win
You can pick apart this win if you want, but winning on the road in the NFL isn’t effortless, especially when your team is working through a huge midweek distraction (Romeo Douba’s suspension) and dealing with a long list of injuries. The Rams lost several key players, but Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford won the Super Bowl together and the Rams are rapidly improving offensively and defensively. Admittedly, the Packers played sloppy, especially in the first half and even delayed, but Matt LaFleur’s team made enough plays to win the game. There’s something to be said about going out on the road and winning when you don’t have your best. Think about the games in Atlanta, Las Vegas or Denver early last year. All close losses. The Packers are clearly heading towards their best football, but wins certainly lend a hand.
Other engaging facts: Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson made a 46-yard field goal, temporarily lowering the temperature in his warm seat…In place of Devonte Wyatt, second-year defensive lineman Karl Brooks scored 1.5 sacks and pressured a Xavier McKinney interception…Tucker Kraft chewed up yards after the catch and you wonder wondering if the Packers would consider building more of their passing game around his elite trait… Rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is a earnest threat on offense, especially with stunts where he can apply his elite athleticism to get past the corner and close to the quarterback… The Packers won battle losing for the fourth time in five weeks.
