Photo: Evan Siegle - packers.com
AJ Dillon - Nov. 28, 2021
AJ Dillon, Aaron Rodgers
Matt LaFleur has never lost back to back games as head coach of the Packers, but that streak appeared to be in serious jeopardy against Sean McVay and the mostly healthy Los Angeles Rams, looking for some revenge after the Packers knocked them out of the playoffs last season. Fortunately, the Packer defense rebounded from their letdown against Minnesota, and harassed Matthew Stafford into two turnovers.
Last week against Minnesota, the Green Bay defense struggled to pressure Kirk Cousins, allowing him plenty of time to find Justin Jefferson. Crucially absent from that game was Rashan Gary, who proved just how valuable he is by constantly getting pressure Stafford, including a strip sack which led immediately to the games’ first touchdown. After AJ Dillon was stuffed on 2nd and goal from the 1, Aaron Rodgers pulled off a brilliant fake and scampered in, showing no ill effects from his injured toe.
Defense Wasn’t Perfect
On the very next drive, the Rams would go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 29, but Adrian Amos uprooted running back Darrell Henderson, sending him crashing back to earth short of the marker, and giving the Packers possession in field goal range. The Packers’ defense wasn’t perfect as they surrendered a few long touchdowns, one to Van Jefferson when cornerback Chandon Sullivan fell down, and a 54-yarder to Odell Beckham Jr., but they made it almost impossible for the Rams to maintain a sustained drive.
Rasul Douglas, who will surely go down as one of the teams’ best midseason acquisitions ever, and he came up big once again with a pick-six late in the third quarter, pushing the Packer’s lead to 36-17, and essentially ending the game. Douglas, who was claimed off of Arizona’s practice squad Oct. 6, is currently the 3nd ranked corner in football according to Pro Football Focus (out of 118 qualifiers), and he has been crucial to the Packers’ sustained defensive success.
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Offense Struggled
The offense actually struggled a bit, behind a good, but hardly a great day from Rodgers. They were helped immensely by turnovers, and poor special teams by the Rams, but when the game was still on in doubt, Aaron Rodgers was at his best. His connection with Randall Cobb continues to pay off as the longest pass play of the game, a 54-yard catch and run to Cobb over the middle, led to a field goal. On their next drive, Cobb had another great catch-and-run for 27 yards, which, combined with a beautiful 43-yard rainbow to Davante Adams, put the Packers up two scores. Cobb did have to leave the game with a groin injury, and the severity is not yet known. Fortunately, the Packers have the bye week coming up.
Adams was outstanding as usual, catching eight of nine targets for 104 yards, often while matched up with Jalen Ramsey, one of the league’s best corners. Unfortunately, the other receivers continued to struggle as Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling combined to catch just 6 of 16 targets for 63 yards. If Randall Cobb does miss time, they will need to get better production out of their secondary receivers. While Aaron Rodgers has been quite good lately, he is still struggling on his deep passes, and while he did connect on two passes over 20 yards in this game, he missed on four.
Nothing Flashy
The run game wasn’t flashy, but it got the job done. AJ Dillon, still in the lead back role with Aaron Jones on a snap count, had only 69 yards on 20 carries but while his yards were pedestrian, he rarely lost yards, and kept the clock moving with the lead. Dillon was also, once again, excellent in the passing game with 21 yards and a touchdown, frequently carrying would-be tacklers for several yards.
The Packers now have the bye week, followed by the undermanned Chicago Bears, and it will be interesting to see if any players suffering long-term injuries return to action. While the offensive line held up surprisingly well without Elgton Jenkins, getting David Bakhtiari back for the stretch run would be huge for the offense. On the defensive side of the ball, both Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith could push this from a top-10 defense to a top-5 unit. All the Packers need to be Super Bowl favorites is a little health luck. We will know soon if they’re going to get it.
