With the Wildcard weekend unfolding the way it did, the Green Bay Packers are poised to take on the Los Angeles Rams this Saturday at historic Lambeau Field. The Rams, whose defense has been playing out of its mind since the mid-point of the season, is looking for another upset as they take the MVP and number one offense in the league. Going into the week, the Packers were –7-point favorites according to DraftKingsNation.com. I’m not really one to base my opinion on spreads, but usually, Vegas has some pretty good reasoning for why spreads are the way they are. Looking at this game there’s a lot of great matchups, so let’s dive in.
One of the best matchups we could ask for is the best offensive player in the league, going up against the best defensive player in the league. MVP Aaron Rodgers knows better than anyone that when you play Aaron Donald you are on a time clock. The ball has to come out quickly, or Donald can wreck your world. Although the Packers offensive line has been excellent all season long, this is going to be a matchup to watch on every play. As soon as the ball is snapped, count to three in your head. More times than not if you get past three, you’ll be seeing Donald hitting the quarterback. It doesn’t matter who is on your offensive line. Arron Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL for 5 straight years. One thing to note was Arron Donald was injured in last week’s game in Seattle. He could be playing with some bruised ribs. That being said, when he is playing, I doubt this will matter, but he could be out on some plays if he gets shaken up again.
Another elite matchup on the field is Davante Adams going against Jalen Ramsey. Davante Adams has shown just how dominant he is all year long. No one has been able to guard him. But if there was a guy that could give him problems, it might be Ramsey. Ramsey is the gold standard for cornerbacks in the league. He’s big, physical, and he plays smart. He knows when he’s on an island and when he has help over the top. I don’t think there’s a cornerback in the league that can guard Davante Adams one on one, but I suspect Ramsey, with some help, could put a handicap on Adam’s production.
We’ve covered some of the key individual matchups so far. Now I want to look at how the team’s units as a whole match up. The Rams defense has been elite since the midpoint of the season (Week 10-17): 184.3 pass yards/game, 61.8% completion rate, 76.5 quarterback rating 8/8 TD/INT ratio, 28 sacks, 87.8 rush yards/game, 3.6 yards per carry (Sportsnaut.com). In that time period, they’ve been the best in the league. They shut down Seattle last week, and although Green Bay is a better offensive team than Seattle, putting up 30 plus points on these guys is difficult. I think this game is going to come down to how well Green Bay’s defense can play.
The Rams offense is shaken up but is regaining strength as time passes. Cooper Cupp, who went out of the game this past week with a knee injury, is expected to play, but more importantly than that, both Rams quarterbacks Jared Goff and John Wolford are healthy enough to play. It’s unclear who will be starting as Goff is just 3 weeks removed from a hand surgery and was clearly affected by it in the Seattle game when he had to come in for John Wolford, who was rushed to the hospital after a neck injury. Both will suit up on Sunday, but it’s unclear who will get the start. Goff, who has been the starter all year, and who has previously taken the Rams to a Super Bowl, would be the expected starter but is clearly not 100% and won’t be by Saturday. Can this Packers defense take advantage of the Rams being banged up at QB? If they can generate some turnovers and set up the offense in good field position, there is no doubt in my mind that the Packers will win this game.
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