Good evening, everyone. On Sunday afternoon/evening, the Green Bay Packers will look to bounce back after a 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings the previous week. Their opponent on Sunday is the Los Angeles Rams, who the Packers played against in the playoffs last season. It will be a tough test for the Packers considering the number of injuries that the team is dealing with, but I believe that they can win against the Rams on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Here are my thoughts on what the Packers need to do to do just that.
On offense, it will depend on the performance of the offensive line. With Elgton Jenkins out for the season and David Bakhtiari (plus Josh Myers) still not back, Adam Stenavich needs his unit to perform well with Yosh Nijman, Lucas Patrick, Jon Runyun, Jr., Royce Newman, and Billy Turner. Against a Rams defensive front that includes Aaron Donald, Von Miller (who was traded to the Rams from Denver), and Leonard Floyd, the best thing that the Packers can do is to run the ball at them and tire them out. Aaron Jones has practiced this week, but I have a feeling that the Packers will save him for after the bye week. I would have no problem seeing AJ Dillon run the ball down the defense’s throat more than 20 times on Sunday. As always, the offensive linemen need to block the defenders and create the holes for Dillon (and any other runners) to go through for plenty of yards without fumbling the ball. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few trick plays designed by Matt LaFleur during this game. Running the ball well can keep the Rams defense honest and not go after Aaron Rodgers every single play. The O-line’s job in passing situations (hopefully no empty formation plays) is to keep Rodgers upright, especially considering the fact that he is dealing with a fractured pinky toe that he suffered during quarantine. There needs to be a focus on the quick passing game for Rodgers and the offense given the situation that they’re in. There must not be situations where Rodgers tries to go for a deep shot on every third down early. As long they keep a focus on running the ball and quick passes, the offense should play well against the Rams defense. Every pass from Rodgers needs to be accurately thrown to his receivers (who include Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Josiah Deguara, and the running backs). The receivers, in turn, need to catch each pass that is thrown by Rodgers (other than throwaways). Sustaining long drives that end in a touchdown each time is the most important thing that the Packers need to do on offense. Converting third (and fourth) downs and avoiding any type of turnover can help the offense accomplish this goal. For the offense (and especially the O-Line), this will be the toughest test so far this season. I believe that they will get the job done on Sunday in front of the home crowd.
The Packers defense will face a familiar face on Sunday. Matthew Stafford had been the quarterback for the Detroit Lions ever since he was drafted in 2009. In those years, he was 7-13 against the Packers (with 4 of those wins in games that Aaron Rodgers did not play or finish). This past offseason, the Lions and Rams basically swapped quarterbacks, with Stafford going to Los Angeles and Jared Goff going to Detroit (and being stuck with a winless team so far this season). While Stafford has played well with the Rams in 2021, there have been times where he made dumb mistakes. In each of the past two games, Stafford has thrown 2 interceptions to the Titans and 49ers each. If the Packers pass rush, which includes Kenny Clark, (hopefully) Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, can get after Stafford (obviously if they’re able to stop the run), then he might be forced to make a YOLO throw that could be picked off by the defensive backs. Those defensive backs, who include Darnell Savage, Adrian Amos, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, and Chandon Sullivan need to make the most of any interception opportunity. In any situation, the defensive backs need to cover the Rams receivers well. Copper Kupp, Odell Beckham, Jr., and Van Jefferson are among the receivers that need to be limited by the DBs. In both run and pass plays, the defense needs to tackle the ball carrier for minimum gain (something that De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes have done well, along with the rest of the defense). Stopping the Rams on third downs and forcing any type of turnover can help give the Packers more chances to score. If the defense is able to score a touchdown themselves, that would be awesome to see. I have no doubt that Joe Barry‘s unit will bounce back from giving up 34 points to the Vikings due to missed turnover opportunities and getting burned by the receivers in that game (particularly Justin Jefferson).
On Special Teams, the key for the Packers is to keep the crucial mistakes to a minimum. An example of this is allowing a blocked field goal or punt. Everything has to work perfectly in order for this not to happen. Steven Wirtel needs to accurately snap to Corey Bojorquez (not only on punts, but on field goal attempts). On field goal attempts, Bojorquez needs to secure the hold while placing the ball nicely for Mason Crosby to kick it through the uprights. The line needs to block the defenders to make sure that nobody gets close to any field goal or punt. Corey Bojorquez needs to flip the field with each of his punts if he is called upon (hopefully not too many times). In kickoff and punt return situations, the returner needs to make smart decisions with the ball. If there is not an opportunity for a long return, he needs to make a fair catch cleanly or let the ball go to the end zone for a touchback. If there is such an opportunity, he needs to go north and south on the return while following the holes created by the blockers (plus hope that the return doesn’t get called back due to a penalty). On the other end, the Packers coverage unit needs to make sure that there are no long returns by the Rams. Kicking each ball into the end zone each time should eliminate this concern. I just hope that the Special Teams unit is not responsible in any capacity for a loss on Sunday (and beyond).
Overall, it will be a tough game for the Packers on Sunday. This team seriously needs its bye week with the amount of injuries that they have. I believe that they will find a way to win against the Rams at Lambeau Field to get to 9-3 on the season. Regardless of the outcome, I pray that neither team suffers a major injury to any player. I’ll be here on Monday or Tuesday with my postgame thoughts on Sunday’s game. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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