LOS ANGELES – It came down to the final possession, but the Packers hung on for a 24-19 victory over the Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium that moved Green Bay to 3-2.
Here are five takeaways from the tight triumph:
- The Packers used a big third quarter to swing the game.
Trailing 13-10 at halftime, Green Bay used two takeaways and two touchdowns to go up by 11 points in a huge shift of momentum.
Safety Xavier McKinney had a hand in both turnovers, recovering a fumble forced by Kingsley Enagbare, and then getting his fifth interception in as many games with the Packers, the first five-game INT streak in team history since 1943.
"That's everything. The ball is everything," Head Coach Matt LaFleur. "We talk about it each and every week.
"I don't want to jinx it," he continued, regarding McKinney's streak. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen. The guy just has a knack for the football."
Both takeaways turned into touchdowns by second-year tight end Tucker Kraft, first on a long, 66-yard catch and run and the other from 7 yards out. It was Kraft's first career two-TD game.
"Tuck is a dog," QB Jordan Love said. "Every time he touches the ball, he has that mindset he's going to score. He's not going to go down lightly."
- The defense got the key stop at the end to close it out.
The Packers carried that 24-13 lead into the back end of the fourth quarter, thanks to a long drive that consumed more than eight minutes on the clock. But a penalty and dropped pass – the two most stark issues the Packers must continue working to clean up – led to the march stalling outside of scoring range.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford then engineered a 91-yard TD drive in just 2½ minutes. The two-point play was stopped, keeping the lead at five points with 3:30 left.
After one first down, Green Bay wasn't able to put the game away, though, and LA got one more shot.
With the help of one fourth-down conversion, Stafford got the Rams across midfield, but defensive lineman Karl Brooks' second sack of the game set up third-and-12. After a short completion made it fourth-and-5, Stafford's pass against tight coverage from rookie safety Evan Williams was incomplete and the Packers held on.
"That was exhausting," LaFleur said. "I'm certainly proud of our guys continuing to battle."
Stafford wound up throwing the ball 45 times, completing 29 for 260 yards, but he wasn't quite able to pull off his trademark comeback magic.
"Anytime you've got a quarterback of Matthew Stafford's caliber, you're probably going to be in for a dogfight, and that's exactly what it was today," LaFleur said.
"I'm glad our guys showed the resiliency you need to have and have to have to go on the road and get a win."
- The defense rose to the occasion in other moments, too.
On the Rams' second drive of the game, with the Packers already leading 7-0, they went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line but Green Bay got the stop.
Also late in the second quarter, the Rams were in field-goal range until linebacker Quay Walker and Williams combined for a 6-yard loss on a pitch to running back Kyren Williams (22 carries, 102 yards). Two plays later, rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper got a sack and the Rams punted.
Those missed points certainly mattered as the game wore on.
Williams played the bulk of the game at safety after the Packers switched up their secondary in cornerback Jaire Alexander's absence. Fellow rookie Javon Bullard moved to the slot, with veteran corner Keisean Nixon shifting outside, while cornerbacks Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine (returning from injury) also got their share of snaps.
"He's another guy that's very smart, instinctive, has a knack for the football," LaFleur said of Williams.
"Right now we have a good problem. We have a lot of people we feel can play in the secondary for us, and the challenge is when we get everybody healthy, how do we get them all involved?"
- The first half was some tough sledding.
Running back Josh Jacobs (19 carries, 73 yards) got his first touchdown as a Packer in the first quarter, set up by a 53-yard bomb to receiver Jayden Reed that he somehow caught with three defenders around him.
"Not a great decision on my part, but when you have a playmaker like J-Reed he's going to go up and make you right," said Love, who finished 15-of-26 for 224 yards.
Other than that, though, the offense went three-and-out three times in the first half, and Love threw a pick-six when he was trying to avoid going down in the end zone for a safety. His off-balance throw was intercepted by safety Jaylen McCollough at the 4-yard line for an easy score to give the Rams a 13-7 lead.
"Bad decision," Love said, matter of factly. "It's all about how you respond and bounce back."
To his credit, he did respond, driving the Packers for a field goal right before halftime to make it 13-10.
- The Packers are planning to get receiver Romeo Doubs back this week.
Doubs was suspended for this game for conduct detrimental to the team when he skipped two practices last week, and the receiving corps was already without Christian Watson due to an ankle injury.
Reed (four catches, 78 yards) and Kraft (4-88 with two TDs) were the stars in the passing game in the victory, and the expectation is Doubs will be back in the fold Monday.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to our conversation tomorrow," LaFleur said. "I fully anticipate him coming back, and I'm hopeful he'll come back and get ready to work.
"Distractions happen in the National Football League. Distractions happen in life. You have to do your best to just focus on the task at hand, and I thought our guys did a pretty good job of that."
