The Packers committed a flury of mistakes: 4 turnovers (3 interceptions, 1 fumble); dropped interception; multiple drops; 2 missed field goals; 8 penalties; multiple drops. Green Bay made a game of it, cutting the score to 28-22 with 10:16 left in the game. Eliminate just one of those mistakes and the argument can be made Green Bay comes out victorious. Minnesota was able to jump out to a 28-0 lead which essentially iced the game in the 1st half…essentially.
There’s Fight In This Team
Green Bay, and Jordan Love, settled into the game after a muffed punt by Minnesota to set up the Packers’ first score of the game late in the 2nd quarter. It was obvious that Love had little confidence in the injured left knee in the first half. He was able to drive the ball much better in the 2nd half and played fairly flawlessly until a poor decision to chuck one up in the end zone to Wicks when Safety Harrison Smith came free off the edge on a blitz. Love had Tucker Kraft wide open in the middle of the field for a 12+ yard gain, and what makes it frustrating is that came on 1st down.
What should seem like a broken record now, Jayden Reed is on the scene and is a legit top WR in the NFL. In his 2 games with Jordan Love this season, he’s totaled 23 touches, 427 yards, and 3 TDs. He’s a weapon and head coach Matt LaFleur knows how to get him the ball in space. Reed is dynamic and can really leverage a defense and showed it in this game vs. a top defense in the NFL.
Who Are the Rams?
The Rams enter this game with a 1-3 record, however that sole victory came against the San Francisco 49ers where LA found themselves trailing by double-digits, twice, in that game before coming back and icing the game. While San Fran hasn’t looked all that good since Week 1, they’re still uber talented and, like Minnesota, anyone that beats them should be taken seriously. QB Matt Stafford can still beat you with his arm and decision-making, but he has little to work with, being his top 2 targets are out with injuries. In the Rams’ last game in Chicago, they committed 2 turnovers which the first Chicago turned into a TD and the last ended the game. There should be opportunities for Green Bay’s defense to grab a few passes, and the Packers will need to convert those turnovers into touchdowns.
As you can see, the Rams suffer terribly on the defensive side of the ball. Love has done a great job of accumulating yards and points in the 2 games he’s played, and the Packers still rank 3rd in yards and 6th in points, with half of their games started by an inexperienced QB where they focused on the run game. Look for Green Bay to put up some serious yards and points in this game – at least they should.
There are 2 players to keep an eye on from the Rams side…Kyren Williams (running back) and rookie edge rusher Jared Verse. Williams has 86 touches for 326 yards, with 6 touchdowns in 4 games. Green Bay struggles a bit vs the run, but have shown improvement over last year and this will be another test as they’ve given up big plays and yards in the 2 games where they’ve faced solid rushing attacks (Phi and Min).
Verse doesn’t have a ton of stats piled up, yet, but he’s a potential star in the making and should test Green Bay’s offensive line in this game. Keeping him from Love will be paramount if the Packers want to tally up these yards and points, I’ve referenced…
Could this go Sideways?
The Packers have suspended WR Romeo Doubs for one game after he missed practice on consecutive days this week. There have been multiple reports stating varying reasons, anything from “Doubs is unhappy with his role in this week’s gameplan,” to him having anxiety issues, etc. Speculating is all we can really do as the team hasn’t really offered an explanation, but best-case scenario is this turns out to be a similar situation to the Jaire Alexander proclaiming himself captain when they faced the Carolina Panthers last year. This might be a move to send a message that no 1 player is bigger than the team and it’ll give him time to figure out whatever is plaguing him to miss practice.
Other than these distractions and injuries, it’s hard to imagine Green Bay having a problem with the banged up Rams. Then again, it’s the NFL and the Packers always seem to lose 2 games they have no business losing. If the Packers committ only half of the mistakes as they did against Minnesota, Green Bay should depart Los Angeles with their 3rd win on teh season.
Season: 2-2
Overall: 94-68
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