The Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers have fallen well short of expectations this season, but both teams are hoping to ride the momentum from exciting fourth-quarter comeback wins when they square off Monday night in Green Bay.
Los Angeles (4-9) has followed up its Super Bowl season with an ugly campaign that has been derailed by injuries and inconsistent play. The defending champs stumbled through an unthinkable six-game losing streak that appeared destined to become a seven-game skid until Baker Mayfield guided an improbable comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 8.
Mayfield, who had just joined the Rams two days earlier after getting released by the Carolina Panthers, rallied his new squad from a 16-3 deficit late in the fourth quarter. Cam Akers plunged in for a 1-yard score with 3:19 to play, and Mayfield found Van Jefferson for a 23-yard TD strike with 10 seconds left to punctuate the 17-16 comeback win.
“I don’t know if you could write it any better than that,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, we’d like to be a little bit more stress-free, but it’s a pretty damn good story, I’ll be honest with you.”
Likewise, the Packers (5-8) would have preferred a stress-free win in their last game before the bye — against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 4. However, in a season where seemingly nothing has gone smoothly, Green Bay needed 18 fourth-quarter points to secure a 28-19 win.
A.J. Dillon (21 yards) and Christian Watson (46 yards) had touchdown runs in the final period, while the Packers intercepted Justin Fields on Chicago’s final two drives. The win was Green Bay’s 787th in the regular season, breaking a tie with the Bears for the most in NFL history.
“It is crazy and it is awesome to be a part of. Most wins in football at this level, it is really an honor to be part of the Packers and be part of that winning tradition,” Dillon said.
Green Bay now turns its attention to a Rams team that has used the last 1 1/2 weeks to come together around Mayfield, who finished 22 of 35 for 230 yards in relief of John Wolford against Las Vegas. From the Packers’ perspective, they don’t have much tape on Mayfield in the Rams’ offense, but coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t seem too concerned.
“You look at the totality of the scheme,” LaFleur said. “Obviously we’ve played each other … twice in the last two years. There’s a lot of familiarity within the staffs. A lot of us have worked together, so we kind of know what we like (to do).”
Green Bay has plenty of familiarity at quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown 15 career touchdown passes and three interceptions — counting the postseason — against the Rams. He and emerging rookie Watson (eight touchdowns in his last four games) could be a handful for a Los Angeles defense that likely will be without Aaron Donald (ankle) for the third straight game.
Still, the Rams continue to play hard, perhaps in part because they owe their first-round pick to the Detroit Lions.
“In the midst of what has been a challenging year, there has been growth,” coach Sean McVay said. “And for that I’m grateful.”
The Packers have captured seven of the last eight meetings between the teams. Rodgers threw two touchdowns and ran for a score in last season’s matchup as Green Bay controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes in a 36-28 home victory.
–Field Level Media