Packer offense bests Rams top-ranked defense to advance to NFC title game

In a match-up between the NFL’s top scoring offense and the best defense in yards and points allowed, my biggest concern was whether the Rams’ front line—which led the NFC with  53 sacks—would put continuous pressure on Aaron Rodgers, who if he did have any weaknesses it was a tendency to play spooked at those times. And could the Packers run against a defense that allowed just 91 yards per game to ease the pressure? As it turned out, the questions were answered when Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s rib injury in last week’s win over the Seahawks rendered him a non-factor, taking away one-quarter of the Rams sack potential, and thus the Rams’ defensive front would be easier for an already good Packer offensive line to handle.  

The Packers were thus able to run the ball effectively early, and Rodgers had the time to be on his game, throwing for 169 yards in the first half against a team that was allowing just 191 a game. Other stats to ponder: The Rams defense allowed only 282 yards per game in the regular season; the Packers gained 243 in the first half. The Rams allowed an average of 18.5 points a game; the Packers scored 19 in first half, and should have had more.

Nevertheless, despite the Rams offense playing alternately hot and cold, it was still a “manageable” 19-10 score at halftime. Then Rodgers had another cold spell, which actually began at the end of the first half, when he had two poorly thrown passes nearly intercepted in the end zone, and the Packers were fortunate to escape with a field goal. A 60-yard run by Aaron Jones on the Packers first drive of the third quarter provided most of the offense necessary to make it 25-10, but Rodgers was in the midst of a quarter-plus in which he misfired on 9 of 13 passes, although one was a likely long TD pass that Allen Lazard didn’t extend his hands out far enough to catch. Although the Rams officially managed only one quarterback hit, what was left of their front had Rodgers on the run for much of the third quarter.

The Rams managed to score in third quarter to cut the lead to 25-18, but with Packer defense shutting them down the rest of the way, a 58-yard pass that Lazard did catch was enough to put the game away, 32-18. On paper the Packers certainly dominated the game, out-gaining the Rams 484 to 244; but the Rams were not a particularly good on offense coming into the game, averaging just 23 points per game in the regular season, so although the final score might have been a surprise to those who thought that the Rams top-ranked defense would have kept this a competitive game, the Packers probably should have won by three scores. Perhaps this is just quibbling, but when you get the feeling that game was more competitive than it should be, it is concerning given both the offensive and defensive prowess of their opponent choices next week.

Still, the Packers ability to wrack-up the yards against the top-ranked defense in the league provides evidence that Rodgers and company have the ability to put up sufficient points when they play another top-five defense next week, either against the Saints or the Buccaneers—the latter team that also scored 38 unanswered points in the Packers worst performance of the season; hopefully the weather in Green Bay will play to the Packers’ advantage, especially on the defensive side, as they play for NFC title at home for the first time since the 2007 title game. But one should keep their fingers crossed; the Brett Favre-led Packers lost in OT to the Giants in near zero temperatures.