Packers get next chance to feast on Rams' struggling defense

Green Bay (2-2) at Los Angeles Rams (1-3)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS

BetMGM NFL odds: Packers by 3.

Against the spread: Packers 2-2; Rams 1-3.

Series record: Packers lead 50-47-2.

Last meeting: Packers beat Rams 20-3 at Green Bay on Nov 5, 2023.

Last week: Packers lost to Minnesota 31-29; Rams lost to Chicago 24-18.

Packers offense: overall (3), rush (2), pass (7), scoring (T-6).

Packers defense: overall (20), rush (11), pass (24), scoring (20).

Rams offense: overall (18), rush (28), pass (8), scoring (T-22).

Rams defense: overall (31), rush (32), pass (21), scoring (31).

Turnover differential: Packers plus-6; Rams minus-1.

Packers player to watch

WR Jayden Reed caught seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. He has 17 receptions for 336 yards and three total touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) this season. He’s the only player since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to have at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards receiving, 10 touchdown catches and 200 yards rushing over his first 20 NFL games.

Rams player to watch

DT Kobie Turner. It has been a slow start to Turner’s second NFL season, picking up one sack and one tackle for loss through four games. He had nine sacks and eight tackles for loss during a solid rookie campaign, though Turner had the good fortune of playing alongside Aaron Donald. With Donald now enjoying retirement, the Rams need Turner to step up for their languishing defense to find its footing.

Key matchup

Packers RB Josh Jacobs vs. Rams defensive front. Jacobs has been solid in his first four games away from the Raiders, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Where Green Bay needs the bruiser to step up is in the red zone, where the offense is operating at 46.7% efficiency in scoring touchdowns, and Jacobs getting his first score in a Packers jersey might help unlock a turnaround. The Rams are struggling at stopping the run, giving up 4.98 yards per carry. The defensive line is getting pushed around, though linebackers Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom have done a decent job of minimizing the damage after contact. If they can’t stabilize and unleash a talented pass rush, it is going to be a long season in Los Angeles.

Key injuries

WR Christian Watson and DL Devonte Wyatt left the Vikings game with ankle injuries. Watson is doubtful to play against the Rams but will avoid having to go on injured reserve because of a high ankle sprain. Wyatt was ruled out Friday. … Packers CB Jaire Alexander (groin) didn’t play against the Colts and is questionable. … Packers CB Carrington Valentine (ankle) has missed Green Bay’s past two games but was practicing on a limited basis this week. … Packers DL Kenny Clark (toe) is good to go after being limited during the week, but LG Elgton Jenkins (knee) and TE Luke Musgrave (ankle) are questionable. … Packers OL Jordan Morgan (shoulder) has missed two games and is questionable after three straight limited practices. … Packers QB Jordan Love played against the Colts after missing two games. He is ready to go for the Rams. ... Rams WR Cooper Kupp will miss his third straight game because of an ankle injury. … WR Demarcus Robinson is ready to play after dealing with a hip injury during the week. … CB Darious Williams (hamstring) has a chance to be activated off injured reserve after resuming practicing for a training camp ailment. ... DL Larrell Murchison is headed back to IR after breaking his foot in practice.

Series notes

The Packers have won four straight over the Rams, including an NFC divisional playoff game in the 2020 season which marked QB Jared Goff’s last appearance for Los Angeles before he was dealt to Detroit as part of the blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford. … Stafford was not available in last season’s loss to the Packers because of a thumb injury. Brett Rypien started in his absence and was 13 of 28 passing for 130 yards and one interception. … Green Bay has won nine of the past 10 games against Los Angeles.

Stats and stuff

The Packers have an NFL-leading 12 takeaways. They have intercepted eight passes to tie Minnesota for the league lead. … Packers S Xavier McKinney has intercepted a pass in each of his first four games. The only other NFL players since 2000 to intercept a pass in each of their teams’ first four games are Minnesota’s Brian Russell in 2003, New England’s Devin McCourty in 2019 and Dallas’ Trevon Diggs in 2021. … Packers K Brayden Narveson went 0 for 2 on field-goal attempts against the Vikings with misses from 37 and 49 yards. He has missed four field-goal attempts in his rookie season. … The Packers have an NFL-leading 40 explosive plays (a run of 12-plus yards or a pass of 16-plus yards). … Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Vikings. … Packers QB Jordan Love had career highs in yards passing (389), touchdown passes (four) and completions (32) against the Vikings. He also threw three interceptions to match his career high. … Packers P Daniel Whelan averaged 60 yards on his three punts against the Vikings, the highest single-game average for any Packers punter with at least three attempts since Boyd Dowler averaged 62.0 against San Francisco in 1962. Wheland’s net average of 56.7 was the best for a single game by any NFL punter with at least three attempts since Michael Dickson averaged 57.5 yards on six punts against Denver in 2018. … When Sean McVay’s offense was held to three points in Green Bay last year, it marked the lowest output in 119 regular-season games for him as a head coach. … Stafford wasn’t the only star skill player missing for the trip to Lambeau Field in 2023. RB Kyren Williams was out because of a high ankle sprain. … Rams OLB Byron Young had 10 tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble against the Packers last season. It was the one multi-sack game of Young’s rookie year. ... Rookie K Joshua Karty missed his first career field goal wide left from 43 yards in the last minute of the first half of the defeat in Chicago. … The Rams scored one touchdown in four red zone possessions versus the Bears. They have seven touchdowns in 17 trips this season. … Williams has scored 21 touchdowns from scrimmage since the start of 2023, which is tied with Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers and Raheem Mostert of the Dolphins for most in the NFL.

Fantasy tip

Rams TE Colby Parkinson showed a nice rapport with Stafford in the red zone during training camp, and getting him more involved might address the team’s struggles inside the 20. Parkinson could be worth a flier in deeper formats as Los Angeles tries to find a spark for its short-handed passing game.

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This story has been updated to show Packers at Rams is on CBS, not FOX.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

The Associated Press