The Los Angeles Rams went into Wisconsin desperate for a win, but almost entirely at the mercy of the injury gods. In short, they weren’t kind. The Rams lost to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, 20-3.
Stafford’s replacement, quarterback Brett Rypien, wasn’t able to make the offense functional and things quickly fell apart from there. Green Bay’s offense wasn’t particularly impressive, but quarterback Jordan Love had his best game in weeks and that was all the Packers needed.
With more turnovers than scoring drives, the Rams fell to 3-6 and all but out of the playoff picture. What went wrong on Sunday?
1. Los Angeles’ offense was rendered one-dimensional by default.
Head coach Sean McVay has been able to find ample production on the ground with virtually any combination of backs and linemen provided to him. Without the threat of a legitimate passing attack, McVay’s prowess didn’t matter.
Green Bay’s defense, which ranked 18th in rushing success rate and 25th in expected points added coming into Sunday, essentially pitched a shutout.
Running back Darrell Henderson ran for just 19 yards and Royce Freeman, who had the most carries (12), averaged just 2.7 yards per attempt. Their best runs came off the backs of Rypien scrambles.
The Packers were right to not respect Rypien’s ability to push the ball vertically. Allocating more resources to the run game, Los Angeles never stood a chance.
Expect the run game to return when Stafford does, but until then, things should remain ugly.
2. The Packers took away the easy completions.
Everything offensively was a struggle for the Rams in Week 9. They managed just 187 total yards, and Rypien completed 13-of-28 passes.
As much as the injuries put them at a disadvantage, Green Bay deserves credit for executing on defense.
The path to victory for the Rams demanded receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua make the plays they needed to make over the middle of the field, doing enough to keep the Packers honest.
It goes without saying that things didn’t go that way. Despite both seeing seven targets, the two star receivers combined for just five catches and 80 yards. Two big plays resulted in 52 of those yards.
Rypien, especially when pressured, was incapable of finding open receivers, but Packers defensive backs made plays when asked.
Simply put, this offense isn’t going anywhere if one receiver isn’t stepping up when the other falters. Sunday, both struggled, and the passing offense was destined to fail.
3. The little things going wrong may be a sign to come.
Last season, injuries compounded a Super Bowl hangover, and Los Angeles won just two of its final 11 games. It’s far too early to project an identical outcome in 2023, but the warning signs are present.
Oftentimes, games are won and lost along the margins. Making life easier is important every Sunday, but when injuries stacked the odds against Los Angeles, every operation seemed disjointed.
A missed field goal from kicker Lucas Havrisik didn’t inspire much confidence for a special teams unit that has struggled to get off the ground. Neither did a 51-yard kick return the kickoff unit allowed.
Rypien fumbled a snap then fumbled again on the same play. Green Bay started two drives from inside their own 30.
The Rams played poorly in virtually every aspect, and it reflected in the score. McVay said last week that it was time to be who Los Angeles says it is, but thus far his team hasn’t lived up to internal expectations.
This team badly needs Stafford to return in dominant form.
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