The Los Angeles Rams will have the benefit of a mini-bye this week after playing last Thursday night and not taking the field again until Monday night. It’s as long a break as a team can have without having an actual bye week, which is perfect timing with Baker Mayfield still getting up to speed with his new team.
The team the Rams are facing, the Green Bay Packers, will be even more rested, however. They had their bye in Week 14, getting some time to rest and recover before the final four games of the regular season.
Since Sean McVay took over as head coach in 2017, the Rams have actually fared pretty well against teams coming off a bye week. They’ve only played five such games since 2017, but the results have been decent.
Here are their results the week after their opponent had a bye.
- Week 12, 2020: Loss vs. 49ers, 23-20
- Week 8, 2020: Loss at Dolphins, 28-17
- Week 13, 2019: Win at Cardinals, 34-7
- Week 8, 2018: Win vs. Packers, 29-27
- Week 9, 2017: Win at Giants, 51-17
On the flip side, the Packers have not been very good following a bye week under Matt LaFleur, who was hired in 2019. They’re just 1-2 following a bye week in the last three years, and they were blown out in both of their losses.
Last year, they beat the Bears 45-30 at home thanks to a terrific performance by Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns in the win. In 2020, they were steamrolled by the Buccaneers, 38-10. That game was on the road and Rodgers struggled mightily, throwing no touchdown passes and two picks with only 160 yards passing. In 2019, the Packers were blown out by the 49ers, 37-8, following their bye. Rodgers threw for 104 yards and a touchdown in that one, getting sacked five times.
The Packers are in much better shape than the Rams heading into Monday’s contest, so they’re heavily favored in this game. The Rams are once again without Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald is questionable to play, too.
A win by the Rams would be seen as a significant upset, so expectations should be somewhat low. But both teams should be well-rested.
