Super Bowl-Bound Rams Offer Lesson for Packers

The Green Bay Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams during the season but it's the Rams who are representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, two teams the Green Bay Packers defeated this season, will play in the Super Bowl in two weeks.

There are some lessons to take away from that matchup. Here’s one that sticks out when examining the Rams.

Packers Should Be Bold Like Rams

The Packers and Rams went all-in to win a Super Bowl this season. After losing to Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship Game, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst restructured just about everyone’s contract to get beneath the salary cap and re-sign Aaron Jones. After losing to Green Bay in the divisional round, the Rams acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford from Detroit for two first-round picks, a third-round choice and quarterback Jared Goff.

The Rams stayed aggressive during the regular season. On Nov. 1, they acquired pass rusher Von Miller from the Denver Broncos for second- and third-round picks. About a week later, they beat out the Packers for receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Sometimes, shopping from the bargain bin results in a steal. That was the case when Gutekunst pursued former All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore but instead landed Rasul Douglas off Arizona’s practice squad. Gilmore was really good for Carolina; Douglas was great for Green Bay. Without his two game-saving interceptions and two pick-sixes, it’s safe to say it would not have finished 13-4 without him.

More often than not, though, signing outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton (Tampa Bay’s practice squad) or tight end Tyler Davis (Indianapolis’ practice squad) results in getting, well, La’Darius Hamilton and Tyler Davis. Signing proven players improves the odds of getting big-game production.

“Sometimes it’s taking a chance,” receiver Davante Adams said after the Packers beat Beckham’s Rams in Week 12. “You never really know for sure. Obviously, you go get a star, there’s a better chance of a guy panning out. Shoutout to our scouting department for seeing a guy like Rasul, who came in and he’s a difference-maker on that defense, man.”

On Nov. 5, the Packers had a chance to land a difference-maker on offense when the Browns released Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl receiver. The Packers and the Rams – two of the NFC’s superpowers – reportedly were Beckham’s finalists. Adams led the push for the Packers to be bold. Gutekunst offered the league minimum; the Rams offered not much more than the minimum but added a bunch of team-related incentives.

“There was a lot of love,” Beckham told NBC Sports’ Chris Simms. “Huge fan, and I always talk to AR12 [Aaron Rodgers] and Davante [Adams]. It just boiled down to some things that don’t really need to be mentioned. I felt more honored and respected and wanted here rather than the other place.”

In hindsight, Beckham was a key addition to the Rams. Shortly after adding Beckham, they lost standout receiver Robert Woods to a torn ACL. The Packers could have used Beckham, too. In the playoff loss to San Francisco, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (back) was inactive and two other key receivers, Allen Lazard and Cobb, were nonfactors.

“They [Packers] felt like ‘We would love to have you,’” Beckham continued with Simms. “This [Rams] was like ‘No, we want you here.’ It wasn’t an easy decision, but with any leap of faith, there’s always going to be that bit of hesitancy. But I’m very happy with my decision.”

There were reasons to not sign Beckham – his potential detrimental impact on team chemistry among them. But it’s clear the Rams were right by being bold and the Packers perhaps started their too-early vacation because they weren’t bold enough.

After catching 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the first two playoff games, Beckham dominated the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game with nine receptions for 113 yards. Every Packers receiver not named Adams caught one pass for 6 yards against the 49ers.

Gutekunst was incredibly aggressive in keeping the 2020 team together to make another run at a championship in 2021 but not aggressive enough for that final sprint. Rams general manager Les Snead was as aggressive as humanly possible; his team finished the season with just $137,725 of cap space. The result? The Packers fell short of the Super Bowl for the 11th consecutive season while the Rams are back for the second time in four years.

Be bold, stay bold and maximize what is left of the window of opportunity.

LESSON TO LEARN FROM BENGALS: DON'T BE AFRAID

Green Bay Packers’ 2022 Opponents

Here is a look at next season’s opponents. The dates and times for the games will be announced in the spring; the 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. Teams with an asterisk qualified for the playoffs.

Home: NFC North

Chicago Bears (6-11), Detroit Lions (3-13-1), Minnesota Vikings (8-9).

Home: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys* (12-5), New York Giants (4-13).

Home: AFC East

New England Patriots* (10-7), New York Jets (4-13).

Home: NFC North Winner

Los Angeles Rams* (12-5).

Home: Game 17 (Winner AFC South)

Tennessee Titans* (12-5).

Away: NFC North

Chicago Bears (6-11), Detroit Lions (3-13-1), Minnesota Vikings (8-9).

Away: NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles* (9-8), Washington Football Team (7-10).

Away: AFC East

Buffalo Bills* (11-6), Miami Dolphins (9-8).

Away: NFC South Winner

Tampa Bay Buccaneers* (13-4).