The NFL’s #1 defense comes to visit the Packers at Lambeau and their #1 offense for a battle royale between coaches and former friends Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur.
The temperature should be around 35F and snow is not likely at this point. Hopefully, the Packers can squeeze some more productivity out of RB Aaron Jones before he goes on to make the big bucks as a superstar.
Something to think about in the first half: The Rams are 37-0 under McVay the past four years in contests they’ve led at intermission.
Injury Reports:
Rob recently wrote about the injuries that the Rams are facing.
Game Odds:
Packers vs. Rams spread: Green Bay -6.5
Packers vs. Rams over-under: 45.5 points
Packers vs. Rams money line: Green Bay -310, Los Angeles +255
Source: William Hill Sportsbook
Game Information:
Who: Packers vs Rams
When: 3:35 PM (CT)
Where: Lambeau Field
Television: NFL on Fox
Radio:
McVay and the Rams are 37 and 0 when leading at halftime. Impressive!. What I’d like to know is, what is their record when they trail at halftime? That is important, the Pack is pretty good at scoring early, and are the best team in the league in the red (gold) zone. Rodgers is on a mission, and this is playoff football, in January, at Lambeau;;;;;;;;;;;;; I like the Packs’ chances.
I’m guessing that McVay and LaFleur are still friends.
.
I’m with Mick…i like the Packers chances.
.
I also like the Chiefs, Bills, and Saints to win.
Not by design, but all home teams with the Bills being the least confident.
.
Anyone else for predictions?…..don’t be scared.
I predict Mike McCarthy will be fatter next season.
The Smith Bros…when asked on Fox pre-game if they want to be one of the best pass rushing tandems. Z said not one of the best, thee best.
Preston sat smiling and nodding in approval.
.
Well Preston…you got some work to do son!!
Snacks will be key in making sure the Rams don’t get the running game going. The Packers had a hole in the defensive line, not this year.
Game Time! …….I’ll watch on delay as always…good luck Pack!!!
One last thought…Jared Goff?….lol…i don’t think so!!!
Ya gotta wonder…do these talking heads do any research before talking? Are they watching the game they’re commenting on at halftime?
.
Stephan A Smith the other day talking about Goff’s injured thumb…on his throwing hand?
.
Daryl Johnston (Mr. Kenny King fame) talking about Goff’s injured thumb on his throwing hand.
.
Micheal (Mr. gift given sack record holder) Strahan proclaiming at halftime how well Goff played, saying he hasn’t been sacked?
How do i, (we) know this stuff better than the guys getting paid big money to comment on it, for a living?
Well, i’m wearing the dunce hat.This whole time i thought it was his left thumb. I saw him playing sometime after and he had a black glove on his left hand so i thought that was the hand.
I’m the Gomer
Kristina Pink..sideline reporter…
.
After the Packers opening TD drive after halftime…”this will be just the 3rd drive for the Rams in this game.”
.
Of course…it was the start of their 5th drive.
.
Not unlike the Packers special teams…Fox sports needs to go back to fundamentals.
I noticed the GB run game is forcing the rams to bring a safety up or or least bring one up and then bail out. That Lazard touchdown was an example.
Zero sacks! Another benefit to a dominate run game performance. Awesome job by the OL.
Yes Sir….as much shit as i give Lucas Patrick, he just might be one of our best run blockers.
Speaking of the O-line, Jenkins neutralized Donald to the point where Donald lost his cool and drew a flag for 15 yards; and kept a drive alive. We all know Donald was injured last week with a rib issue, and was on limited snaps; but he was a non-factor the rest of the contest. I was impressed that Jenkins didn’t retaliate and draw an off setting penalty. Jenkins not only is athletic and versatile, it shows he is mature as well.
4th quarter…13:17 left.
.
Watch Kenny King’s “effort” in tackling his man. He’s an enigma to some. To PFF he’s a 55.7.
Skip Bayless-That Rams Defense is really not that good. Them giving up 500 yards and 32 points was all because of everyone besides Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers had more incompletions than Jared Goff therefore Goff played better in a loss. Plus Rodgers only had 3 total TDs, not his usual 4 so he’s washed up.
Skip.Bayless is a troll and I mostly just ignore him. Although it’s funny, I watched a clip on YouTube earlier of him discussing this game and he thought Rodgers was distracted because of his invitation to be on Jeopardy. Lol. First time I listened to anything he said this season and I was quickly reminded why I ignore him
Bayless is a pedantic, pontificating, pretentious bastard. A belligerent old fart. A worthless steaming pile of cow shit. Figuratively speaking. :-)
^^^^^^^^
I refuse to watch him. He always came off to me as someone who needed to say something outlandish, to get attention.
Kind of like the old throwback radio shock jocks.
I wish Howard would tell us how he really feels! LOL! The best part is;;;;;; I agree with him!
I have to admit that line is from a movie with a couple of minor changes. However, it does fit skip so I use the line every time I see Skip’s name or comments on this site.
lol. Rams arent shit. Cant believe they got all this run from the national blowhards leading into this game. They went 10-6 and lost to the Jets. So much talk this week though. Just ridiculous.
I thought they were a tad overrated on defense in the discussion among pundits this year. Probably top ten defense, but they really didn’t face many great offenses. The bills hung 35 on them. The jets managed to score 23 on them. Donald being obviously limited hurt them today, but I am not convinced they stop this offense with him healthy. They rolled up nearly 500 yards and 32 points, and that’s despite drops/overthrows that could have led to more points/yards. Probably could have dropped 40 and well over 500 yards
I agree, The Rams defense, for most of the contest; didn’t know what was coming. I was really impressed with the offensive game plan, especially sticking to the run game. That would never have happened under McCarthy.
That 2pt conversion play was sweet though.
I kept saying (in detail)….the Rams are a different team at home vs on the road. Does anyone listen to me G D I? :)
.
Congrats to the Packers, LaFleur, Hackett, the O line, the backs, and as Rodgers properly gave credit…to the defense for making a couple nice stops in the 4th quarter.
.
I kept saying the Rams are a one sided team. And we pretty much destroyed their good side.
I don’t care if Donald was hurt, we don’t have our All-Pro left tackle and nobody’s feeling sorry for us.
.
I’d watch the other 3 games anyway because i’m a NFL fan…but now it will be more fun.
.
I couldn’t be happier. Very. very proud of this Packer team right now.
.
What does it all mean?…it means we equaled last season, and we have another HOME game to advance to a Super Bowl.
It isn’t done until ….it’s done, but for right now, i’m sticking to what i thought would win this game, Home field advantage.
Home field…or as James Jones calls it…”The Crib”…”They gotta come through the crib”
.
If i could get around better, i would have loved to be at that game, or the next one, cost be damned.
Three of the best comments made…pregame.
************************************
Dean January 15, 2021
Do not underestimate the GB rushing attack — 3 backs that can run/catch and run blockers (OL, TE, & WRs).
*
“Can the Rams defense win games? Absolutely
Am i envisioning that happening against the leagues top scoring offense…at home, in January? Absolutely fucking not.” – anonymous
.
Ferris January 16, 2021
Prediction…it will snow in WI this year
****************************
The three worst…pregame
.
“Whether it’s the Seahawks, the 49ers, the Cardinals or now the Rams, Aaron Rodgers has an abysmal record vs NFC West teams with a good defense. I really don’t understand how anyone can feel confident in this game.” -anonymous
******************
“The Rams don’t need Donald. They will get pressure on Rodgers even if he wasn’t playing because they have a formidable line.”- anonymous
******************
“Now the Rams have the best defense of any NFC Team West that Rodgers has ever faced. About middle of the 2nd quarter I expect to see Rodgers shaking his head again and revert to holding on to the ball too long and getting sacked.” – anonymous
Honorable mention….
.
Ferris January 16, 2021
I predict Mike McCarthy will be fatter next season.
I’d add Howard’s comments to PF4Ls 3 and change it to 4 best comments:
************
.Howard January 15,2021
“I think the key on offense is patience with sudden deep shots off play action. That means not going away from the run game.”
I am happy for everyone on this team. Happy for Rodgers, guys like Aaron Jones, Robert Tonyan, Zadarious Smith, and Allen Lazard who weren’t celebrated players coming out of college but are now key players on this football team. Credit to the front office, especially this off-season when fans were calling for their heads, for assembling a hell of a football team that is as good as any team this year. Happy for the coaches, and Rodgers for collaborating, over distance to go over the offense this off-season. Speaking of that, proud of how this team has handled itself amidst a pandemic, between being able to put in some work in a very unusual off-season and then just simply being smart and realizing the importance of what they were trying to accomplish and that bringing the virus into workplace could have jeopardized their ultimate goal. As PF4L mentioned, they haven’t reached that ultimate goal yet, but they are doing the right things so far to get themselves there. This team needs to stay vigilant though. Both on and off the field
Now is not the time to go out and celebrate and get freaking COVID. Nor will it be if they happen to win next weekend. Go home, have a few drinks, relax, take it all in and enjoy the moment, and remember there will be plenty of time to celebrate later
That’s why i won’t feel sorry for any team that loses key players because of Covid, including the Packers.
.
Because from what i can tell, most of the cases that have come up this season with various teams could have been avoided.
*************************
I can’t get on board with the credit you give towards the front office as if they knew what would happen with the offense. Simply because…they didn’t and couldn’t have known how this team was going to shake out. The draft was before the magic happened with Rodgers, LaFleur, and Hackett getting the offense together.
Not one person said…hey, this is going to be a high scoring offense (before the draft). But somehow the front office (Gute) knew it would be,,,before the draft?….I don’t think so.
.
I gave credit to Gute for Alexander, providing better depth, because he earned that, we have better depth.
I also gave Murphy credit for hiring LaFleur.
Those two had nothing to do with the offense turning into what it became. Giving them that credit is a insult and a slap in the face of those actually responsible for designing and implementing it, mostly the coaches and Rodgers working as a team.
Good comments about “working as a team”. This offensive has never had a QB like Rogers — it seems nearly unstoppable. At this rate (few sacks), Rogers could play a long time in a offense that knows the value of play-action.
.
I give the coaches and players credit for making it work so well. Credit also goes to Gute for picking up players that fit the system (Jenkins, Turner, Wagner, Lazard, Lewis, MVS).
Out of his 3 drafts he’s got 2 good proven starters, added some depth, spent an ungodly amount of money on free agents.
But i look at things, good vs bad…pro vs con….if you broke down all of Gute’s move’s..his con or bad moves far outnumber the good or pro.
.
Maybe i’m crazy, but i’d like to think i could find 2 good starters in 3 drafts with a team of scouts, and some free agent players if i’m doling out contracts worth over 240 million.
.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Gute has been it player acquisition now for 3 years. I think it’s a good thing he did some things right, because if he didn’t, how sad would that be?
My bad….3 starters.
I’ve come around to Savage this season.
About time to come around on Gary I think, he was easy to hate last year but the guy has been great lately, and already 2 players all pro. This team is a lot of fun to watch after so many years of seeing us get the ball pounded down our throats and only relying on Rodgers arm, I say hats off to the office for now.
Valid points about drafting PF4L. The proof is in the pudding as they say.
.
However, the reason you bring in 2 high priced FAs as OLBs AND then draft Gary with the 12th pick to sit on bench a bit is for this situation:
.
What happens if GB has to play Brees or Brady in the championship game to get to the Superbowl? Sure would be nice to have 3 OLBs that can rush the passer…
Well,,,lol…as interesting as that is. I’m not sure that was Gute’s mindset when making that pick.
The last 2 seasons the Packers had 41 sacks.
In 2018 the Packers had 44 sacks, without those three.
*
Someone could try and justify that move to me for the next 20 years, but frankly i’d advise them not to waste their time.
.
The move is ridiculous on it’s face, i’m not spending all that money, using that high draft pick resource, so i have a back up in case we need one in the playoffs.
.
I don’t care what this offense has done. At the end of the day…we still don’t have a clear #2 receiver, do we?.
.
Maybe Gute drafted bench player Dillon in case he needed him in the NFCCG. Like in case Jones, Williams or both were injured., was that Gute’s mindset?
.
Maybe Gute drafted scout team 3rd string QB in the first round in case Rodgers died of Covid.
.
Maybe back in the draft, Gute was the only human on earth who knew in advance how good the offense was going to be.
.
The reasons are endless.
I’ll give some credit to Gute, mainly that he at least keeps trying to improve the team, as the season is in progress, (even with mixed results); to keep this train going. Thompson wasn’t in to that way of doing things. LaFleur, Hackett, and Rodgers (buying into the offense); deserve more than the lions share of the credit for the Packers success. All the players on this team seem to buy into LaFleurs’ plan;;;; and that’s where most of the credit should go. I’m not scared to say it, I’m proud of our coach!
He keeps busy working. I can give him that.
.
He does keep trying, but i just can’t think of anyone he’s brought on during the season that mattered.
.
I had/have so much respect for Holmgren as coach.
I think LaFleur is heading to that level with me.
He hasn’t built a raw QB into a HOF’er or won a Super Bowl yet.
But damn…who starts out 26-6 as a head coach, and his offense ranks #1 in the 2nd season with one proven receiver? WOW
.
One of the guys Gute gets credit for signing last April, especially to improve depth is Krys Barnes.
Now he broke his thumb yesterday and came back and played with a club.
.
I don’t like that…that tells me…that he’s better one handed than the player behind him. I don’t get how that could be.
The reason i don’t like it, is this is the NFL, unless your Clay Mathews in his prime, you can’t be real effective one handed…and it is like playing one handed.
He missed what looked like a easy interception because of the club.
He also tried stopping Ackers in the red zone. Ackers took him with him into the end zone.
.
Mathews wore one a little bit, Maybe Julius Peppers, and Morgan Burnett wore one for a long time, and i didn’t like it then either. That….tells me you have no faith in your depth.
.
I really, really like Krys Barnes, but not one handed going further in the playoffs.
An undrafted player has a tough enough time in the NFL…now he’s playing one handed? C’mon.
.
I mean…is a one handed Barnes, better than a two handed Kamal Martin or Oren Burks?
If that’s the case, it’s time to cut bait with Martin and Burks..
I like Barnes too, the kid gives his all, It’s a shame he got injured. I think Martin will get better with more experience. As for Burks, I’m surprised he lasted beyond the final cuts in training camp! After all, what the hell has he done since he came here?
Gary is getting “starting” # of snaps now.. The 11 defensive players with + 60% snaps were 5 DBs, 1 MLB, 2 DL, and 3 OLB. This seems to be the best combination to limit the run and pass and get pressure on the QB.
Packers OLB
@RashanAGary
is up to 46 total pressures on just 321 pass-rushing snaps this season, per
@PFF
. Had 7 more pressures vs. Rams.
Overall grades per PFF last three games: 90.7 (vs TEN), 90.1 (at CHI), 81.2 (vs. LAR). Gary was the highest graded defensive player vs the Rams.
I might be wrong Howard, but i thought Gary had at least 2 sacks. i was surprised when i looked at the box score after the game.
.
Dean….Gary is not a starter, Preston gets 79% of the Def. snaps. Gary gets 44%.
The reason Gary has increased snaps by about 21% this season is a deliberate attempt to get him more snaps because of where he was drafted.
The majority of these snaps came from a reduction in snaps for Kenny Clark. Clarks snaps got reduced by about 25% over last season.
The first sack by Gary was a good call to split with Clark. Gary flushed Goff toward Clark. Clark tripped up Goff, but I don’t think Goff was going to go to the turf. Gary finished off the sack. Goff may have been able to get off a pass/throw away without Clark making Goff stumble.
The first Sack by Gary was a good call to split with Clark. Gary flushed Goff to Clark. Clark tripped up Goff. I don’t think Goff was going to go to the turf from Clark’s hit. Gary took Clark to the turf. Clark tripping up Goff, may have stopped Goff from getting off a pass/throw away.
It is a long season for all of us. Regarding snap counts we need to remember Clark missed 3.5 games. Gary injured his ankle in the Saints game and had reduced snaps in that game and the TB game. I think Gary tweaked his ankle again in a later game (SF?). In the Detroit game Gary injured his hip and had his snaps reduced.
.
Injury to Gary still does not account for why P Smith gets more snaps. Even though I don’t think P. Smith is that great in coverage. I do think P. Smith is on the field more than Gary because of coverage. I think it scares the shit out of Pettine to have Gary or Z. Smith get isolated in coverage on a RB or TE and Z. Smith is not going to be coming off the field that often. I think the main problem in Gary’s snap count vs P. Smith is the scheme that Pettine wants to run, not Gary. If Pettine is going to run 3 bigs and two OLBs one of those OLBs may have to drop into a coverage zone and Pettine’s choice is P because P has dropped into coverage (experience) when he was with the Redskins.
I’m not about to start counting them, but i see Def. sets with only 1 true down lineman. With P. Z, and G up at the line.
.
Truth be told it really doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the 12th pick of the draft should be a starter.
No matter how it’s spun.
It seemed like Snacks did not play much in the game. I wonder if the thought was that he would get stuck on the field for several plays if the Rams went hurry up? The hurry up seemed to give the rams O a shot in the arm — hope Brady or Brees did not notice.
They elevated Def. lineman Brian Price from the practice squad. He played in 2 snaps. I only know this because he got called for a penalty.
.
I might get ridiculed again, but i didn’t see Snacks in there. But then again…i don’t live and die checking each play to see if they inserted the fat bastard in the game.
They probably did not need Snacks because the GB defense only had about 50 snaps or so. Therefore, Clark would have played most of the snaps OR when the Rams went hurry up GB could not substitute.
Well….why would you sign Snacks in week 17, and not use him?
But instead, before the game, you call up a Def. lineman from the practice squad and use him?
That doesn’t make much sense does it?
.
.
“Snacks will be key in making sure the Rams don’t get the running game going. The Packers had a hole in the defensive line, not this year.” – anonymous
.
It’s a crazy world isn’t it Dean? So much logic.
.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Looks like Snacks and Price had 2 or 3 snaps each. They probably only need those two if the D has to play 60+ snaps to give Clark a break. At 53 snaps, it’s nice to have the depth if needed.
Looks like Snacks had 3 snaps. I guess they signed him for kneel downs at the end of the game.
.
FYI…Clarks gets plenty of rest, he’s played 275 less snaps than 2019.
To tell you the truth PF4L; i didn’t see Snacks in the game either! Also, I didn’t hear anything about why he wasn’t in there. No mention of it during pre-game, or during the game. ( Maybe, someone heard something that we haven’t)
Some of you may remember the last time the Packers played the Rams in the playoffs
1/20/2002 Divisional Round
.
Although the Packers lead the Rams in almost every category
First downs
3rd down conv.
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Total yards
Time of possession.
.
But yet…they lost that game by 25 points..17-45
How could that be…well, records were set by Brett Favre, just not of the good variety.
Three (3) pick sixes…but that wasn’t enough, there was more.
.
http://www.espn.in/nfl/matchup?gameId=220120014
*28 points
(narcotics)
Yes. The game were the only way the Packers could win is have Favre Throw 6 ints. Add on the two fumbles lost by other Packers. Eight turnovers. Those have to be a playoff records?
Maybe tied records idk…i can’t imagine anyone else throwing 7 picks or 4 pick 6’s in a playoff game.
.
What got me incensed at the time wasn’t just the interceptions…but the fact he’d be smiling after some of them.
I’d be so pissed at him.
.
Between 2003-2005 i remember telling friends and co workers i wanted the Packers to trade him while he still had good trade value.
.
Like i always said, it wasn’t just the retirement drama in 2008, or playing for the vikings.
.
I was looking at him sideways before that.
Yes sir, I remember that game well. Wish I hadn’t though! (Nightmares)
Andy Reid….The guts of a cat burglar.
.
Chad Henne…..Did his job.
Congrats to Andy Reid, a good man and coach! Even though the Browns were beaten, they have to hold their heads high; they played tough, and were competitive. Happy for the long suffering Browns fans!