It was a wild and emotional Week 14 for the Los Angeles Rams as they managed to overcome a double-digit deficit and steal a win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Shorthanded on both sides of the football and with a new quarterback in Baker Mayfield handling the offense, the Rams beat the odds and finally gave fans something to celebrate. Week 15 will be a different animal though as they take on the Green Bay Packers who can still be dangerous anytime Aaron Rodgers is lining up under center.
Although Los Angeles is out of the playoff picture, they can still use their remaining games to build some positive momentum heading into the offseason and a win against Green Bay would go a long way in doing that.
Rams Offense vs. Packers Defense
With John Wolford out of the lineup, Baker Mayfield is slated to make his first start with the Rams. With a week of practices under his belt, he should have more familiarity with head coach Sean McVay’s scheme which means the team should have more of the playoff available to them.
Against the Raiders, the young receiver trio Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell all came up with plays to keep the team ahead of the chains. Green Bay’s secondary is much better than Las Vegas’, so they’ll need to be on their A-game and capitalize on the targets they get.
Aside from the secondary, the Packers also boast a solid pass rush that could give the Rams offensive line problems, especially with Mayfield still learning the offense.
Rams Defense vs. Packers Offense
The defense will be shorthanded as Aaron Donald remains out, leaving players like Leonard Floyd and Michael Hoecht to pick up the pass rush. Hoecht in particular has shown some flashes at a new position, though going up against the Green Bay offensive line is a different challenge.
Rodgers has looked his age this season, especially without Davante Adams lining up alongside him. However, he has a growing connection with rookie wideout Christian Watson who has been scoring multiple touchdowns per game. Jalen Ramsey can help in this regard, though Green Bay has weapons in their backfield led by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon who require attention as well.
Keys to Victory/h2>
1.Limit explosive plays
As mentioned earlier, the Packers have looked revitalized on offense thanks to explosive plays generated throwing the football. Watson is largely responsible, so Raheem Morris will need to be conscientious of this when devising the defensive game plan.
2. Ease the burden on Baker Mayfield
Although Mayfield was able to come up in the clutch, he is still learning the system so Sean McVay should look to make his job as easy as possible against a solid Packers defense. McVay should give Cam Akers a sizable workload on the ground and use that to eventually open the field for Mayfield.
