PREGAME Rams at Packers NFC Divisional round matchup

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OldSchool

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Damn! Check out LT :D Haven't watched a lot of NFLN and last I saw him he looked like the poster child for Kohl's. Love the look my man.
 

kurtfaulk

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LOL... “the Rams‘s QB choice comes down to”;

1. The guy taken away in an ambulance last week
2. The guy with one hand
3. The guy just signed a couple of weeks ago

That tells me...

WE ARE WINNING THIS F@#KER!

:horns:

that was a well delivered piece of comedy.

what about the clown that said he couldn't understand how goff wasn't healthy enough to start but was healthy enough to back up and come into the game?

did he watch the game and see all the wounded ducks goff threw because of his thumb? what didn't he understand? the clown.

.
 

The Ramowl

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The more I watch things and read about this matchup the more I think a lot will be decided by who gets ahead first. Those are two teams that are excellent with a lead. If we get behind, we'll be in big trouble.
We will need the defense to make a play and score some points, that will be hard because GB plays a very clean game, few turnovers, few penalties.
 

Dodgersrf

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I have no issue with Torbert. Just keep Vinobitch away.
I didn't even see him listed on the schedule.

Boger has a game this weekend, but not Vinadouche. Unless Vinadouche has been assigned to work under another ref.
 

Ramstien

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Boger sucks too! I hate that guy and wish there was some way I could make his life miserable.
 

BonifayRam

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Packers Run Defense Will Be Critical Against Rams on Saturday
By Gil Martin | January 13, 2021
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Packers Run Defense Will Be Critical Against Rams on Saturday | The Sports Daily

When the Green Bay Packers host the Los Angeles Rams in their Divisional Playoff game on Saturday afternoon, one of their biggest areas of concern over the past few years will play a vital role: their run defense.

The Rams enter the game with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 126.1 yards per game during the regular season.

The Packers run defense ranked 13th by yards allowed per game with 112.8. Much of Green Bay’s success against the run came because the Packers got out to early leads in games which forced opponents to throw the ball a lot while trying to play catch up.

The Rams rushing game will be even more important on Saturday because of the question marks concerning the status of their two quarterbacks. Starter Jared Goff had to undergo surgery after injuring the thumb on his throwing hand on December 28.

Goff was forced into action in the Rams playoff win over the Seahawks when backup John Wolford left the game late in the first quarter after suffering a stinger. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution but released the same day.

Neither quarterback had an outstanding season this year. Goff threw just 20 touchdown passes while tossing 13 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 90.0. He has some playoff experience and led the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2018 season, but he hasn’t played at that level since then.

Last week, the injured thumb clearly limited his effectiveness in the win over the Seahawks and he completed just 47.4 percent of his passes in the game.

Wolford started his first NFL game in the regular season finale against the Cardinals and made his first playoff start last week in Seattle. He is probably healthier than Goff right now, but he’s less experienced. His greatest work as a pro came in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football where he was the top-ranked quarterback in a league that never finished its only season.

Goff was a full participant in the Rams first practice this week and hopes he can be ready to play against Green Bay.

With two questionable quarterbacks, the Rams will be forced to emphasize the running game if they hope to pull off an upset against the Packers. Against Seattle, the Rams gained nearly as many yards on the ground (164) as they did through the air (184).

That means the Packers are likely to see a lot of Cam Akers. The rookie out of Florida State gained 131 yards rushing in the win in Seattle and ran for a touchdown.

Akers also went over 100 yards in the Rams victory over the Patriots on December 10 when he gained a career-high 171 yards on 29 carries.

The Packers defense will have to be able to stop the run and force the Rams quarterbacks to beat them through the air.

Green Bay will have veteran lineman “Snacks” Harrison available to help solidify the run defense. Harrison made his Packers debut in the season finale in Chicago and played 12 defensive snaps. That number could increase to between 15 and 20 snaps against the Rams.

While Harrison helps fortify the defensive line, he also gives them valuable experience and leadership according to defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. “It’s great for depth, but it’s also, here’s a guy that’s an ultimate pro,” Pettine said. “He’s very conscientious.”

In addition, Green Bay has Kenny Clark to help plug the middle of the line. Clark was injured in the season opener and had a slow start to the campaign, but he’s healthy now and played his best football in the final six weeks of the season.

At linebacker, the Packers have settled on a rotation of Krys Barnes, Kamal Martin and Christian Kirksey that seems to be bringing out the best in all three of those players in recent weeks.

In addition, the Packers have not hesitated to use safety Darnell Savage on run blitzes to help make plays at or even behind the line of scrimmage.

Earlier in the season, the Packers also had more difficulty keeping contain on outside runs and the tackling on running plays was often sloppy. That, too, has improved in recent weeks.

Pettine may be looking to utilize a similar strategy to the one he used in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. The Packers were able to hold star running back Derrick Henry under 100 yards in that game and most of the yards he gained came in the fourth quarter long after the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.

The Packers emphasized stopping the Henry and the Titans running game in that contest and may do that again on Saturday against the Rams, almost daring Goff or Wolford to beat them through the air. If the Packers can make the Rams offense one-dimensional and force them to log long, sustained drives to put points on the board, it will be difficult for the Rams to keep up with Aaron Rodgers and the potent Packers offense.

The Packers run defense has been a question mark for most of the season. They still ranked 21st in the NFL in average yards allowed per rushing attempt with 4.5. Only the Bills and Titans ranked lower among playoff teams this season. But the arrow has been pointing up in the last half dozen games and the Packers confidence has been growing as well. Now it’s time for the run defense to show what they can do when it matters most.
 

BonifayRam

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Rams secondary could be the big-play Packers’ kryptonite
Cameron DaSilva, Wed, January 13, 2021,
Rams secondary could be the big-play Packers’ kryptonite (yahoo.com)
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Green Bay Packers did a lot of things well on offense during the regular season. Not only did they lead the league in scoring with an average of 31.8 points per game, but they also had the fewest turnovers, scored on an NFL-high 49.7% of their drives and were the most efficient team in the red zone, finding the end zone 80% of the time when reaching the opponent’s 20-yard line.

The Packers also created the most big plays through the air of any team in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers completed 14 passes that went for at least 40 yards, tied for the most in football with the Cardinals. Additionally, they scored 13 touchdowns of at least 20 yards, which was tied for sixth-most in the league.

This big-play offense could meet its match on Saturday afternoon, though, when the Los Angeles Rams visit Lambeau Field. No team was better at preventing big plays through the air than the Rams.

During the regular season, the Rams allowed only two passing touchdowns longer than 20 yards. That’s the fewest in the league, one fewer than the Saints and three fewer than every other team.

According to Pro Football Focus, neither of those touchdown passes were given up by the cornerbacks, which gives the Rams the only cornerback unit not to allow a 20-yard touchdown pass this season.
One was a 44-yarder to George Kittle, and the other was a 59-yarder to Dan Arnold on a blown coverage.

Los Angeles Rams: the only CB unit to not allow a 20+ yard passing TD this season ❌ ✈️ pic.twitter.com/1oy3iLaImy
— PFF (@PFF) January 12, 2021
Additionally, the Rams only gave up four passes of at least 40 yards, which is yet another example of how good they are at preventing big plays downfield. That was tied for the fewest in the league with the Ravens.

The Packers are a really tough offense to match up against. They obviously move the ball well through the air thanks to Aaron Rodgers, who’s the likely NFL MVP, but they can also produce on the ground, as evidenced by their eighth-ranked rushing offense.But as good as Green Bay is offensively, the Rams have the skill players and scheme on defense to ground the high-flying Packers. If any team is capable of doing it, it’s the Rams.
 

BonifayRam

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What is Packers situation at left tackle?
Is there a potential weak spot on Green Bay’s offense?
By Kenneth Arthur
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Rams-Packers preview: Matt LaFluer could adjust o-line to stop Donald - Turf Show Times

You may have come across the news this week that the Green Bay Packers are set to make history with tackle Jared Veldheer, who could become the first player to ever play for two different teams in the same postseason. And we aren’t even to the conference championship games yet. Don’t lose faith Jared, you could be on the Rams yet. In fact, Veldheer started for the Indianapolis Colts at left tackle last weekend and it is possible he will start at left tackle this Saturday against the LA Rams.

The Packers lost premier left tackle David Bakhtiari to a torn ACL at the end of the season and veteran backup, swing option Ricky Wagner has been limited in practice with knee issues. Veldheer was signed as insurance or depth but Green Bay could cash in on that immediately.

Here’s how PackersNews.com described one possible reason for signing Veldheer and keeping Wagner on the field at right tackle:

A less-likely scenario with Veldheer, but one LaFleur could consider if Wagner is healthy enough to play, is to start Veldheer at left tackle and move Billy Turner back to right guard. That would give him his three best linemen – Elgton Jenkins, Corey Linsley and Turner – in the middle to deal with Donald.
Veldheer started at left tackle for the Colts in their playoff loss Saturday at Buffalo and played some left tackle for the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. His performance against the Bills was remarkably good given he had not played a down all year. He allowed two pressures and no sacks single-blocking mostly against Mario Addison and AJ Epenesa.
Bakhtiari missed four games during the regular season, including three in the middle of the year. How did Aaron Rodgers play without his elite blindside blocker? He had 15 touchdowns, zero interceptions and was only sacked three times.
 

BonifayRam

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What is Packers situation at left tackle?
Is there a potential weak spot on Green Bay’s offense?
By Kenneth Arthur
View attachment 42847
Rams-Packers preview: Matt LaFluer could adjust o-line to stop Donald - Turf Show Times

You may have come across the news this week that the Green Bay Packers are set to make history with tackle Jared Veldheer, who could become the first player to ever play for two different teams in the same postseason. And we aren’t even to the conference championship games yet. Don’t lose faith Jared, you could be on the Rams yet. In fact, Veldheer started for the Indianapolis Colts at left tackle last weekend and it is possible he will start at left tackle this Saturday against the LA Rams.

The Packers lost premier left tackle David Bakhtiari to a torn ACL at the end of the season and veteran backup, swing option Ricky Wagner has been limited in practice with knee issues. Veldheer was signed as insurance or depth but Green Bay could cash in on that immediately.

Here’s how PackersNews.com described one possible reason for signing Veldheer and keeping Wagner on the field at right tackle:


Bakhtiari missed four games during the regular season, including three in the middle of the year. How did Aaron Rodgers play without his elite blindside blocker? He had 15 touchdowns, zero interceptions and was only sacked three times.
I feel really good about the healthy interior DL'ers going up against this highly acclaimed interior OL of the Packers. Brockers/ Robinson/ Gaines/ Joseph-Day is a solid foursome to combat this. Stopping the run is their best attribute. Now Donald/ Fox/ Floyd/ Hollins/ Ebukam & Okoronkwo attacking the edges where this OL is very weak should also be effective. So I would expect a very solid defense this Saturday.

The offense is the opposite. It took an NFL record day from a rookie RB to lift the Ram past the Seattle Defense. Expecting the same repeat from Akers is a big stretch IMO. The Packers will shift their defense to stop the run first @ all costs. With the pass as an afterthought. I believe the Packers will bet heavily that Goff will not be able to deliver.

Goff will need to be something he has not been in a long time for this offense to overcome this Packers game.......I have BIG concerns :cautious:that he is capable of producing what will be needed.:unsure:
 

RamWoodie

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The path to victory for the Rams is like this...

On Offense:

1. Don't turn over the ball.

2 Run at the Packer D'...this OLine has proven they can grind it out.

3. Use the Ram TEs because the Packers D' is vulnerable to the TE in the middle.

4. Don't ask Goff or Wolf to do to much in the passing game. Take some shots but stay in the short to intermediate routes. Make the Packer D' tackle.

On Defense:

1. Play the run first. Rodgers loves the play action fake...and the Packers use that to boost the run game.

2. Once again the secondary must tackle well and not "ball hawk". Play to break up the pass or make the tackle.

3. Be patient but persistent in the pass rush and the sacks will come.

This ain't hard to see...BUT...it will be hard to do if you don't execute and play with intensity.

I like to see the look on McVay's face when the game starts...I get a good feel of where the team is from that.
 

Merlin

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Not many people giving us a chance.
And rightly so. Been reeling a bit tbh after watching our QBs in the Seattle game. Wolford missed a guy, threw a late deep out that was almost picked, and then got hurt like a fucking scrub when he didn't slide. Goff wasn't much better I appreciate the plays he did make but the guy is not seeing the field well and he's not hitting his targets.

Then you look at Green Bay and see what Rodgers is doing... It's just a massive differential that McVay is going to have to overcome to win this game.

The good thing is we have a very potent run game with Akers in there now. And that's something we might be able to ride. We also have a defense that is playing lights out but even they're gonna need help in this game in the form of long drives by our offense to limit how many times Rodgers touches the ball.

McVay is trying to steal an NFC Championship game appearance from Green Bay here. IMO. For that to happen we are going to need a full team effort to overcome what Aaron Rodgers gives them.
 

Ellard80

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that was a well delivered piece of comedy.

what about the clown that said he couldn't understand how goff wasn't healthy enough to start but was healthy enough to back up and come into the game?

did he watch the game and see all the wounded ducks goff threw because of his thumb? what didn't he understand? the clown.

.

there were a few people that said that on this board
... they'd still argue about it eventhough the game played out as to exactly why mcvay did it the way he did...