The Green Bay Packers overpowered the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, winning 24-12 at Lambeau Field in frigid conditions. The Rams’ defense probably played well enough to win, but the offense had statistically its worst performance with only 12 points scored and 156 total yards.
As we do each week, we graded every position group from the Rams’ most recent game and yet again, there were some poor marks on this week’s report card.
Quarterback: C-
Mayfield built some momentum by finishing with two strong drives against the Raiders, but that didn’t carry over to this week. He struggled in Green Bay, barely completing more than half of his passes with one touchdown and a pick. He could’ve had a couple more turnovers, too, with one pass nearly going for a pick-six and a fumble being recovered by the Rams.
Running back: B+
Cam Akers had his best game of the season, rushing for 65 yards on just 12 carries and catching three passes for a team-high 35 yards. He was the only running back who did much of anything; Kyren Williams only got two carries and Malcolm Brown had zero touches. Akers was really the only bright spot on offense.
Wide receiver: C-
Van Jefferson led the Rams’ wide receivers with 32 yards on just two receptions. The next-closest wideout was Tutu Atwell, who caught one pass for 10 yards. That just goes to show how poorly the receivers played in this one. Atwell did draw a 40-yard pass interference penalty, but he also dropped a pass over the middle that would’ve picked up big yardage.
Tight end: B-
Tyler Higbee came alive as a pass catcher, hauling in a team-high four passes for 27 yards and a touchdown – his first of the year. He wasn’t very good in pass protection, though, failing to help out Rob Havenstein when asked to chip pass rushers on the right side.
Offensive line: C+
The offensive line only gave up four pressures against the Packers, even though it felt like Mayfield was running for his life more often than not. The run blocking was better than usual despite being without Brian Allen for all but two snaps.
Defensive line: B
Greg Gaines and Jonah Williams rose to the occasion with Aaron Donald and A’Shawn Robinson out again, applying pressure on Aaron Rodgers from the interior. Gaines had two pressures and a sack, while Williams had two pressures of his own, as well. They were primarily the two defensive linemen who had an impact in this one.
Inside linebacker: B+
Bobby Wagner continues to play at an extremely high level, and Ernest Jones is having himself a solid season, too. Both played well on Monday night, but Wagner in particular stood out in a positive way with seven tackles. Though the Rams got gashed on the ground, it wasn’t the fault of Wagner or Jones, despite Wagner missing one tackle himself.
Outside linebacker: B-
Leonard Floyd continued to dominate the Packers with two more sacks against his former division rival, helping provide pressure on Rodgers in the pocket. Michael Hoecht is still a work in progress as an outside linebacker, particularly against play action and run fakes, but it’s hard to criticize him much when he’s transitioning from defensive tackle to edge rusher
Cornerback: B-
Jalen Ramsey was everywhere on Monday night, allowing zero catches in coverage and making a handful of really impressive stops as a run defender. His stand-up tackle on A.J. Dillon at the goal line was a real highlight, as was his strip against Aaron Jones in the fourth quarter. Troy Hill didn’t have his best, nor did Cobie Durant, but Ramsey helped make up for it.
Safety: C+
Taylor Rapp showed good instincts on his interception in the first half, but his tackling could’ve been better. And Nick Scott didn’t play particularly well in coverage at safety, though he does lay the wood with seemingly every tackle he makes. I wouldn’t say either player performed poorly, but there were plays they could’ve made in the running game.
Special teams: D
Special teams was a mess outside of Matt Gay’s 55-yard field goal. He missed an extra point, the Rams allowed a punt return of 19 yards and a kickoff return of 52 yards, and Riley Dixon averaged just 37.8 yards per punt. Russ Yeast’s 15-yard penalty on punt coverage was costly, too, so it wasn’t a banner day on special teams.
