The first playoff exposure for the Packers after a sensational season was punctual, though often not dominant, with Aaron Rodgers taking a step closer to his second Super Bowl appearance.
What often seemed to be evolving into a Saturday night defeat for Rodgers and the Packers has turned into something less than that, as the Rams have refused to go away and hide, despite several opportunities to do so. When pressed, the Packers responded and had no problem securing a 32-18 win in a divisional NFC game at Lambeau Field.
There were about 9,000 fans allowed to personally watch the unfrozen tundra, as the temperature at the beginning was 35 degrees and the snow falling every now and then. It wasn’t a classic post-season vibe in Green Bay, and it wasn’t a vintage pyrotechnic pass by Rodgers (23 of 36, 296 yards, two touchdowns). Unable to hit anything deep for more than three quarters against the NFL’s first-rate defense, the Packers went to the ground to do what needed to be done. They ran 188 yards, split between Aaron Jones (99 yards), Jamaal Williams (65) and AJ Dillon (27).
What comes next is of vital importance to Rodgers and the franchise. Since winning the Super Bowl after the 2010 season, the Packers, while not exactly game champions, have certainly not been playoff powers. They have reached the postseason seven times and are 6-7 in the last 13 playoff games – losing once in the wild-card round, three times in the divisional round and three times in the NFC championship game. As seed number 1, they stay at home and face the winner of Sunday’s Saints-Buccaneers clash in the NFC title game. It will be the first NFC title game for Rodgers at Lambeau Field.
The Rams, with 25-10, came closer when the running back Cam Akers of the Wildcat formation made a direct snap and advanced 7 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third period. A few tricks in the two-point conversion – Akers entered the end zone after a hook and flip ladder from rookie Van Jefferson – reduced the deficit to 25-18.
An answer was needed. An answer was given.
The Packers stopped in defense, thanks to a dismissal of Jared Goff by Kenny Clark. Rodgers saved possession by attacking in a fumble in a failed exchange with Dillon. Three moves later, Rodgers after an excellent game simulation, hit Allen Lazard, who split defenders Jordan Fuller and Troy Hill for a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 6:52 remaining. That was that.
To have any chance of a comeback, the Rams needed a big game from Aaron Donald, their defense “Terminator” star, but they didn’t come close to getting enough. Donald, dealing with a rib injury, spent a lot of time watching from the sideline – he missed 11 snaps in the first half – and never had any problems. His only impact came at the start of the second quarter, when he got into a fight with Elgton Jenkins and was marked by an unnecessary 15-yard violence penalty for grabbing Jenkins’s mask.
The Rams also had to go without their best wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, and their starting left guard, David Edwards, both out with injuries.
Knowing that they needed touchdowns and not goals to stay with Rodgers, the Rams wanted to be aggressive in the first quarter in the fourth-quarter at Green Bay 14. Sean McVay kept up his attack on the field, but then had to withdraw it after Right guard Austin Corbett was called in for a false start penalty. Matt Gay’s 37-yard field goal to make it 3-3 looked like a big prize for the Rams.
On a course of 14 plays and 84 yards, the longest run or pass for the Packers was just 9 yards. In the first touchdown of the game, Rodgers set Davante Adams to the left, then asked Adams to quickly move back to the right. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey stayed with Adams in the first move, but lost him in the second, allowing Adams to break free to make a 1-yard pass. Ramsey was furious that nobody caught Adams in the play and let his teammates know.
The Packers led 19-10 at the break. Any notion that something could be different in the second half was dashed when Jones, in the first play of the third quarter, missed 60 yards. This triggered a 75-yard move – each yard reaching the ground – ended with Jones’ 1-yard swivel landing to put the Packers ahead 25-10. He approached, but not enough to expel the Packers.