Packers Are Rested And Ready As They Enter Hostile Territory
The Green Bay Packers need to be physically and mentally prepared as they hit the road to face the undefeated Los Angeles Rams late Sunday afternoon at the LA Coliseum.
Both teams are coming off victories over the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers are 3-2-1 after a 33-30 home win over the 49ers a few Monday nights ago. The Rams defeated the 49ers 39-10 in Santa Clara last Sunday, improving their record to 7-0 and remaining the only undefeated team in the league.
Aaron Rodgers is practicing without his knee brace, welcome news for any Packer fan. Although Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison have been limited in practice, they should be ready to go on Sunday, and the Packers will need every body they can get. The rookie receivers got some valuable playing time the last few games, and even if Cobb and Allison are able to play, I think the rookies will still be on the field quite a bit and will be counted on to make some plays in the passing game.
Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams need to provide a running threat to keep the defense honest. The Packers cannot afford to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. I have said this many times before, but this is not the 49ers they are playing. They cannot miss so many scoring opportunities and expect to win on Sunday.
The Rams have made a lot of moves to improve the defense, and it has paid off so far. Sam Shields is back in the league and is one of the additions. Another major move was acquiring Packer nemesis Ndamukong Suh. Aqib Talib is another player who had numerous incidents both on and off the field. Marcus Peters has had success in the league with Kansas City and is now on the Rams. However, the biggest defensive move the team made is extending the contract of Aaron Donald, possibly the best defensive player in the league, although Khalil Mack is also in that conversation.
QB Jared Goff is definitely a candidate for League MVP, although Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs is probably the front runner right now. When he isn’t finding his talented receivers such as Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, he is handing the ball off to Todd Gurley II, the league’s leading rusher. The Rams are a well-balanced offense, leading the league in rushing and 8th in passing. The Packers need to be extremely disciplined all game long. Getting some turnovers always helps.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the regular season since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis. This will be the Packers’ first game vs the Rams in LA since 1991, when they lost 23-21 at Anaheim Stadium. The Packers’ last game vs the Rams at the LA Coliseum was in 1978, a 31-14 victory by the Rams. The last Packers’ game at the LA Coliseum was a 29-16 victory over the Los Angeles Raiders in 1990. Of course, the biggest game at the LA Coliseum in Packer history was their 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl.
The bye week came at a great time for the Packers. They are now at 3-2-1 and have shown a lot of flaws, even in their wins, and that includes the 22-0 shutout over Buffalo. Even though they won, they looked very underwhelming at times in their last game vs the 49ers. If that same defense shows up on Sunday, they will be in big trouble vs the Rams.
Mike McCarthy knows that he is a coach on the hot seat. Despite all of the success he has had in Green Bay, many of his critics point out that he always started the season with either Rodgers or Brett Favre at quarterback. Fans want another Super Bowl Title, and another season out of the playoffs might seal his fate.
McCarthy has responded to criticism before. In 2016, the Packers were 4-6 and looking terrible, especially on defense. However, they turned it around and ended up in the NFC Championship Game that season. If they are to make a trip to the playoffs once again, they more than likely have to do better than 1-4 in these next 5 games.
Entering last Sunday’s games, the Bears led the division. They ended the day in last place. That just shows that this division is there for the taking. Even the Lions added a defensive player in a trade with the Giants. Any team in this division can win the NFC North, and that includes Detroit.
The point spread varies from day to day, but the Packers are currently 9.5-point underdogs for this game. Whoever wants to bet against Aaron Rodgers, especially after a week off, do so at your own risk. The LA Coliseum will be rocking on Sunday, even though I expect a sizable amount of Packer fans at the game. The league was considering having these two teams play in London this year, but the Rams obviously did not want to give up this home game and these ticket sales for a game overseas.
The Packers are not quite the underdogs that the Bills were to the Vikings earlier this season, but Buffalo has proven that the games are not decided in the betting lines, but on the field. I expect the Packers to be very motivated and I think McCarthy has a trick play or two up his sleeve.
I hardly get butterflies when the Packers play games like this one. It’s when they play the winless teams where I get nervous. Let’s get a huge statement win on Sunday and show the rest of the league that we are for real and we are coming. Let’s get loud and energetic in Los Angeles and cheer the Packers to victory on Sunday!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
