Packer Central

Live Updates: Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers (8-3) are hosting the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) on Sunday in a battle between top teams, top quarterbacks and top defenses. Follow along all day for updates.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers (8-3) are hosting the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) on Sunday. It’s a heavyweight showdown. Follow along all day for updates.

Final Score

Packers 36, Rams 28 Here's the story.

Fourth Quarter

Packers 36, Rams 25 (3:05 remaining)

After some punishing runs by AJ Dillon to help get the ball into scoring position, Mason Crosby missed a 42-yarder. For the second consecutive week, he hit the upright. So, the Rams have a chance.

Packers 36, Rams 25 (14:52 remaining)

The Rams for the second time struck with a long touchdown. This one, on first down from the 46, Matthew Stafford went deep to Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham made the catch at the 20, cornerback Rasul Douglas tumbled to the turf and Beckham trotted in for a 54-yard touchdown. Stafford found Cooper Kupp in the back end of the end zone, and he made a terrific leaping, spinning catch for the conversion. Beckham had only one catch for 5 yards in the first three quarters.

Third Quarter

Packers 36, Rams 17 (1:52 remaining)

In early October, Rasul Douglas was toiling on Arizona’s practice squad. Three weeks later, he saved the upset victory at the Cardinals. Tonight, he might have clinched the victory over Los Angeles. With the Rams facing a third-and-7, Douglas broke up and intercepted Matthew Stafford’s pass to Cooper Kupp and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. The two-point pass was broken up.

Aaron Rodgers has three career pick-sixes. This is Stafford’s third consecutive game with one. Stafford has thrown 26 of them in his career, sixth-most in NFL history.

Packers 30, Rams 17 (2:28 remaining)

The Packers managed only a field goal on a short field. They were lucky to get that. Tight end Marcedes Lewis’ sloppy ball security turned into a fumble that left tackle Yosh Nijman recovered.

Packers 27, Rams 17 (4:47 remaining)

J.J. Koski’s fumble on a punt return has given the Packers the ball at the Rams’ 27 with a chance to take control. The snap was low but Corey Bojorquez drilled a 53-yard punt. Koski returned it for 13 yards. Dominique Dafney was given credit for the forced fumble and Krys Barnes recovered.

Packers 27, Rams 17 (7:18 remaining)

The Packers hogged the ball for half the third quarter, paying it off with Aaron Rodgers’ 5-yard touchdown pass to AJ Dillon. Dillon caught the ball at the 5, slipped linebacker Troy Reeder’s tackle and scored. On the second play of the half, Rodgers went deep to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 28. Dillon got five consecutive touches at one point, and Rodgers went through his progressions before hitting tight end Josiah Deguara for 12 to convert a fourth-and-2.

Packers 20, Rams 17

Injury update: With the second half just under way, the Packers have announced that Randall Cobb is out with a groin injury. Cobb has been one of the team’s top playmakers so it’s a big loss.

Halftime

Packers 20, Rams 17

The Packers had two chances at the end of the first half to extend their lead but failed. So, they’ll take a three-point lead into the break and get the ball to start the second half. Aaron Rodgers is 15-of-24 passing for 199 yards, with 175 yards going to Randall Cobb (four catches, 95 yards) and Davante Adams (five catches, 80 yards). Rodgers has a touchdown run and a touchdown pass to Cobb. The pass protection, a big question mark given the power of the Rams' front and the injuries to Green Bay's line, has been excellent.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is 9-of-14 for 154 yards with touchdown to Van Jefferson and Darrell Henderson.

Second Quarter

Packers 20, Rams 17 (1:28 remaining)

Matthew Stafford connected with running back Darrell Henderson for a 6-yard touchdown. Henderson scored on the same route as Green Bay’s Randall Cobb earlier – a Texas route in which the back takes his route outside before going to the post. Stafford’s pass beat safety Adrian Amos and Henderson held onto the ball despite linebacker Krys Barnes’ hard hit. Cooper Kupp had catches of 22 and 19 yards on the drive.

Packers 20, Rams 10 (4:21 remaining)

Last week at Minnesota, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson lined up in the backfield and scored on a touchdown catch. On second-and-6 from the 7, Randall Cobb lined up in the backfield and did the same. He took his route to the outside, then cut back inside. Aaron Rodgers hit him at the 2 and Cobb spun his way into the end zone. On the first play of the drive, Cobb lined up in the backfield, as well, strolled into the flat and had a catch-and-run gain of 27. Later, on third-and-2, Davante Adams beat Dont’e Deayon deep for 43 to the 11.

Packers 13, Rams 10 (7:20 remaining)

Matt Gay made a 36-yard field goal but it was a big stop by Green Bay’s defense. On the first play after Randall Cobb muffed the punt, Matthew Stafford threw a backward pass to Cooper Kupp, who threw the ball to Van Jefferson for a 25-yard touchdown. However, after the fastest replay review in NFL history, Jefferson was deemed out of bounds. On third-and-3, Rasul Douglas drilled Odell Beckham to force an incompletion.

Packers 13, Rams 7 (8:13 remaining)

So much for removing struggling rookie Amari Rodgers for the good of the punt-return unit. Randall Cobb was back deep and dropped the ball, with Robert Rochell recovering at Green Bay’s 25.

Packers 13, Rams 7 (9:40 remaining)

Mason Crosby made a 28-yard field goal to salvage a field goal. On third-and-3, Aaron Rodgers threw the ball over linebacker Ernest Jones to receiver Randall Cobb. He caught the ball 15 yards downfield, dodged a tackle and was off to the races for a gain of 54. But the drive stalled. On second-and-5 from the 9, Aaron Donald jumped around right tackle Billy Turner and jumped on top of AJ Dillon for a gain of 0. On third-and-goal, Rodgers threw incomplete to Cobb. Cornerback Dont’e Deayon probably should have been called for illegal contact.

Packers 10, Rams 7 (12:42 remaining)

The Rams wasted no time in getting back into the game. On third-and-8, Matthew Stafford went deep to Van Jefferson, who was one-on-one against Chandon Sullivan. Jefferson caught the ball at the 36, Sullivan tumbled to the turf and Jefferson jogged the rest of the way for the touchdown.

Packers 10, Rams 0 (13:29 remaining)

Mason Crosby made a 45-yard field goal to the end of the field where he had a rough pregame warmup. During pregame, Crosby’s kicks were consistently right. This one snuck inside the left upright. It was a victory for the Rams, though, to escape their fourth-down failure without any points. On third-and-7, Aaron Rodgers had clear sailing if he could beat defensive lineman Greg Gaines. Gaines, though, made an ankle tackle for a 0-yard sack.

First Quarter

Packers 7, Rams 0 (27 seconds remaining)

On fourth-and-inches from their 29, Rams coach Sean McVay went with the analytics and kept the offense on the field. The Packers stuffed the analytics – and running back Darrell Henderson. Safety Adrian Amos beat right guard Austin Corbett and torpedoed Henderson. Henderson did a flip in the air and landed short of the first down. The Packers will take possession at the Rams’ 29.

Packers 7, Rams 0 (2:11 remaining)

Aaron Rodgers scored on a third-and-goal keeper form the 1. Rodgers faked the handoff to AJ Dillon and ran right. Left one-on-one with All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the 37-year-old quarterback with the fractured toe won the race to the pylon.

The key play was made by the defense. On second down, Rashan Gary beat stud left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Whitworth tackled Gary and Gary knocked the ball loose from Matthew Stafford. Preston Smith scooped up the loose ball and returned it 5 yards to the 6.

Packers 0, Rams 0 (4:23 remaining)

The Packers drove to the cusp of scoring range before their drive bogged down, but at least they flipped the field position after starting at their 6. Davante Adams converted a third-and-2 and a third-and-5 with receptions, and AJ Dillon converted a fourth-and-1 behind a block by left tackle Yosh Nijman against Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Corey Bojorquez’s punt sent the Rams to their 15.

Packers 0, Rams 0 (12:31 remaining)

The Packers won the toss and deferred. Green Bay gave up one first down but, on third-and-6, a big push by defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Kingsley Keke forced an incompletion. At cornerback, Eric Stokes played the left side and Rasul Douglas played the right side, regardless of where Odell Beckham was aligned. As expected, Chandon Sullivan matched on Cooper Kupp in the slot.

Matthew Stafford vs. the Packers

While with Detroit, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford went 7-13 against the Packers.

“I don’t know how it compares with stats or anything, but Matt Stafford has always been good,” Packers safety Adrian Amos said. “He just played for the Lions and sometimes, when you’re not playing for a team that’s winning, you don’t get praise for a lot of things that you can do.”

The Lions are perennial losers, of course. The Rams, perennial contenders under coach Sean McVay, acquired him from Detroit in a blockbuster trade in which the Rams shipped two first-round picks, a third-round choice and Jared Goff. The Rams’ hope is Stafford will put the Rams over the top in a crowded NFC.

In his last seven games against Green Bay, Stafford tossed 12 touchdowns vs. just one interception.

He entered this game ranked fourth with a 106.1 passer rating and 24 touchdowns. He’s third with 8.33 yards per attempt.

“He’s been a great thrower of the football,” Amos said. “He always had a great deep ball. He always could do the tricks and make all those throws and he’s been pretty mobile being able to extend plays. He’s just on a new team in a different spotlight.”

Key to the Game

The key to this game is obvious. It’s turnovers.

In the Rams’ three losses, they were minus-2 vs. Arizona, minus-1 vs. Tennessee and minus-2 vs. San Francisco. They were even or positive in their seven wins.

In the Packers’ three losses, they were minus-3 vs. New Orleans, minus-2 vs. Kansas City and even vs. Minnesota. They won the turnover battle in all eight of their wins.

“The three games that we’ve lost, we haven’t won the turnover battle,” Rams coach Sean McVay said this week. “And so, that’s something that every single team in this league emphasizes, but we’ve got tangible evidence to show how important it is to us through these 10 games. And I also think that’s one of the reasons why the Packers have been so successful under Matt (LaFleur), but really since Aaron (Rodgers) has been there, is because they do a great job of taking care of the football and not turning it over. And they’re doing a nice job being able to take it away, as well.”

Rough Pregame for Crosby

A cold, windy day might not be the best friend of the Packers’ struggling field-goal operation. While Mason Crosby hit from 55 yards to the north end zone, he also missed a series of kicks. To the south end, he appeared to miss three consecutive kicks from 49 yards. He moved up for a 41-yarder and missed that one, too. He also missed from 45. All of those kicks were wide right. Watching Crosby working with long snapper Steven Wirtel and punter/holder Corey Bojorquez with about 1 hour to kickoff was like an unprepared student cramming for an exam.

Packers Are Rare Underdogs

The Packers are home underdogs, a rare thing during the Aaron Rodgers era.

Since the start of the 2010 Super Bowl season, the Packers have been home ‘dogs eight times. Five of those games came with Rodgers out with broken collarbones in 2013 and 2017. Another came in the 2011 finale, when Rodgers got the day off and Matt Flynn lit up the Lions.

That leaves two games with Rodgers at quarterback: three-point underdogs against Seattle in 2016 (a 38-10 Packers victory) and two-point underdogs against Minnesota in 2018 (a 29-29 tie).

The Packers are 2-point underdogs against the Rams.

Betting Breakdown

Depending on the sportsbook, the Packers are 2- or 2 1/2-point underdogs. At PointsBet, the Packers are 2 1/2-point underdogs. They’ve received 54 percent of the money and 57 percent of the bets. The over/under is 46.5 – down from the opening 49.5. About three-quarters of the money and the bets are on the over.

How to Watch Packers vs. Rams

TV: Fox – Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Eric Andrews (sideline) and Tom Rinaldi (sideline).

Stream: You can stream the game on FuboTV. Get a 7-day Free Trial.

Coverage Map: Check out the map at 506Sports.com to see if the game will be broadcast in your neighborhood.

Radio: Packers Radio Network – Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) Larry McCarren (analyst). Compass Media Networks – Bill Rosinksi (play-by-play) and Steve Beuerlein (analyst). Sirius – 138 (LAR), 82 (GB.) XM – 381 (LAR), 227 (GB). SXM App – 818 (LAR), 811 (GB).

Green Bay Weather Report

With about 90 minutes until kickoff, it's sunny and 37. With a northwest wind of about 16 mph, the wind chill is 28. It will be about 10 degrees colder by the end of the game.

The Rams are 1-2 under Sean McVay with a kickoff temperature of 35 or colder, including last year’s playoff game, when it was exactly 35.

History Lessons

This series is as tight as it gets. In 96 meetings, the teams are 47-47-2. The Rams hold a 46-45-2 edge in the regular season and the Packers have a 2-1 advantage in the playoffs. The Rams have outscored the Packers by six points.

Of course, the Packers won the last matchup, 32-18, in last year’s NFC divisional playoffs at Lambeau Field. With the Packers nursing a 25-18 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers hit Allen Lazard for a 58-yard touchdown to send them to the title game. There were two underrated plays before the touchdown.

First, on second-and-4, AJ Dillon was drilled by A’Shawn Robinson and fumbled. Rodgers recovered and turned disaster into a gain of 1. That set up a third-and-3, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling turning something into nothing by stutter-stepping and reaching for the first down.

Packers vs. Rams Inactives

Aaron Jones, Rashan Gary and Allen Lazard are active for Green Bay.

Pregame Reading

Three: Reasons to Worry

Two: X-Factors

One: Bounce-Back Pack

Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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