Four Days Until Kickoff: Four Views from Inside the Rams

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers (13-3) will host the Los Angeles Rams (11-6) in an NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday at Lambeau Field. Let’s get to know the foe with Eric D. Williams of SI.com’s Ram Digest.

1. Never mind the injured thumb, but what happened to Jared Goff? He looked like a potential star in 2017 and 2018 but seemingly has backtracked the last couple years.

Goff’s issues have been twofold – turnovers and inconsistent decision making. Only Jameis Winston (70) has more turnovers than Goff’s 65 since the start of 2017 season. Goff is slow through his progressions at times, especially under duress. Per Next Gen Stats, Goff completed 55-of-118 passes (46.6 percent) for 619 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions when pressured during the regular season. His inconsistent play led to losses this year, particularly setbacks to the Miami Dolphins and twice against the San Francisco 49ers.

However, the Cal product is only 26 years old and under contract through the 2024 season after signing a four-year, $134 million extension in September 2019. He’s also missed just one start in five NFL seasons due to injury, so he’s durable. Sean McVay needs to figure out how to make Goff a more consistent performer under pressure.

2. Speaking of Goff, he was horrible in his two career cold-weather starts. Obviously, that’s not much of a sample size. Assuming he starts on Saturday, is his cold-weather history a concern – amplified, perhaps, by his surgically repaired thumb? And are the Rams equipped to handle what will actually be a decent day by Green Bay standards with a kickoff temperature around 25?

The Rams don’t have access to a refrigerator big enough to hold practice in a cold environment near the team’s practice facility in sunny Southern California, so they’ll have to improvise. McVay used wet balls in practice to simulate the environment Goff would have to deal with in Seattle last week, so he’ll be creative. Several players on the roster grew up playing football in cold-weather environments around the country, so they have that experience to lean on.

Related: Packers-Rams Q&A

Bottom line is Goff and the Rams will deal with the weather as best they can. They played in Seattle with a game-time temperature of 45 degrees. Goff appeared to throw the ball decent and his injured thumb seemed unaffected. Goff said he has no pain with the injury. But 25 degrees is different. It will be interesting to see how a warm-weather team like the Rams will handle the temperature change.

3. In the big matchup, it’s Green Bay’s top-ranked offense against Los Angeles’ top-ranked defense. Green Bay’s offense starts with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, just like the Rams’ defense starts with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. However, it took more than those two to make life so miserable for Russell Wilson and his prolific receiver tandem on Saturday. Beyond those two stars, why has that defense been so good all season?

Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has done an excellent job of putting all the pieces together around Donald and Ramsey. Up front, guys like Leonard Floyd (10.5 sacks), Morgan Fox (six sacks) and Michael Brockers (five sacks) do a nice job working in coordination with Donald to create pass rush opportunities up front. For the most part, the Rams can rush four and play coverage in the back end, limiting explosive plays.

Ramsey’s ability to erase the best receiver on the field allows the Rams to play a lot of combination coverages and anticipate routes through film study. An example of that is Darious Williams’ interception for a touchdown last week against Seattle on a wide receiver screen intended for DK Metcalf. The Rams also do a good job of defending the run without loading the box with defenders.

4. You nailed your Seahawks-Rams prediction. What’s L.A.’s formula for victory on Saturday and, with the caveat that we are four days from kickoff, how do you see this game playing out?

L.A.’s path to victory is the same as it has been all season – play great defense, run the football, take of the football and score touchdowns when they are in the red zone. However, due to injuries and the uncertain availability of key players like Donald (ribs), Cooper Kupp (knee), Andrew Whitworth (knee) and Goff (thumb), it will be an uphill climb for the Rams to win on the road. I give them a puncher’s chance because of the defense but would expect Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to find a way to earn a victory and move on.

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