The Green Bay Packers kept their season alive with a 24-12 win over the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football” from Lambeau Field to finish off Week 15.
A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones scored three touchdowns and created nearly 200 total yards, and the Packers defense made easy work of Baker Mayfield and the Rams’ talent-lacking offense.
After 14 games, the Packers are 6-8 and still have a chance to make a run at the postseason over the final three weeks.
Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:
What went right
– The Packers outgained the Rams by nearly 200 yards and possessed the football for almost 38 minutes.
– Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon combined for 196 total yards and three scores. The pair had 126 rushing yards and 70 receiving yards on 35 touches.
– The Packers created five sacks, including two from Preston Smith, six tackles for loss, five pass breakups, nine quarterback hits and one takeaway.
– The Rams finished with only 156 total yards, including 84 passing. And despite a few big runs, the Rams had just 72 rushing yards. Baker Mayfield completed only 12 passes and threw an interception.
– Keisean Nixon returned three kickoffs for 95 yards (31.7 yards/return), including another over 50 yards. By the second half, the Rams were kicking away from him. Nixon also returned two punts for 36 yards. He’s explosive, and he’s consistently changing field position for the Packers.
– The Packers converted 4-of-9 third downs and both fourth down opportunities, including the fourth down late to ice the game.
– Rookie receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson combined for nine catches on 11 targets for 101 yards.
– The Rams turned two takeaways into only three points, and the Packers responded late after giving up a 40-yard defensive pass interference penalty by forcing a punt. Los Angeles never got the ball back as Green Bay embarked on a 15-play, 82-yard drive that drained the final 8:51 off the clock.
What went wrong
– The Packers turned the ball over twice, including one immediately following a takeaway, and lost the turnover battle, two to one.
– Aaron Rodgers took three sacks, including one to end the first drive in the red zone and another right on the edge of field goal range. The Packers quarterback didn’t think the protection was consistently good enough against a poor pass rush on Monday night.
– The Packers had a penalty negating a long kickoff return by Keisean Nixon and a 40-yard pass interference penalty on Adrian Amos, plus 15-yard penalties on both Rudy Ford and Jaire Alexander. Green Bay’s four penalties netted 80 yards.
– Christian Watson missed a signal from Rodgers on the final drive and missed out on a chance to score a late touchdown.
– Rams running back Cam Akers produced a few explosive plays as a runner and receiver and finished with 100 total yards on 15 touches.
– Twice, the Rams converted third-and-long, including a 3rd-and-13 on a scoring drive before the half.
What it means
The season isn’t over yet, and the Packers ensured meaningful football will be played on Christmas Day in Week 16. After starting 4-8, the Packers took care of business against two bad football teams. Now 6-8, the Packers will embark on a tough three-game gauntlet that should define the season. Matt LaFleur’s team has a shot to make this interesting. Really interesting. But the Packers will have to play their best football to beat the Dolphins, Vikings and Lions in consecutive weeks. We’re about to learn a lot about this team come Christmas Day in Miami.
What's next
No rest for the weary. The Packers will go on the road to play the Dolphins, who have lost three straight games after an 8-3 start but remain right in the AFC playoff picture. Miami has an explosive offense with two 1,000-yard receivers (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle) that will test Joe Barry’s group far more than the Rams. Can the Packers pull off the upset on Christmas Day?
