One week after coming up short in their comeback attempt against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers switched roles in Week 5, holding off a late push from Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's matchup of volatile NFC competitors. Fueled by a couple of Tucker Kraft touchdowns and another ball-hawking performance from safety Xavier McKinney, the Packers left the West Coast with a 24-19 victory, improving to 3-2 on the 2024 NFL season.
Quarterback Jordan Love picked up where he left off, showcasing the same boom-or-bust gunslinging that both helped and hurt his squad against the Vikings the week prior. His deep ball to a triple-covered Jayden Reed helped get Green Bay on the board first, but a pick six thrown while going to the ground in his own end zone later invited L.A. to keep things close. In the end, he did enough to reclaim the lead, leaning on Kraft as an over-the-middle safety valve, as well as an opportunistic Packers secondary.
McKinney led the way on that end, making history with his fifth and sixth takeaways of the 2024 season. His production neutered Stafford's aerial attack for significant stretches of action, though the Rams did get another big day from running back Kyren Williams, who eclipsed 100 yards on the ground.
Here are some major takeaways from Sunday's NFC showdown:
Hard to debate this one: Jayden Reed's concentration on Love's early deep shot was unmatched.
Chalk it up to the quarterback being just a week removed from his real return from an MCL sprain, or chalk it up to, well, the way this guy plays the game. But the Packers still have fireworks on their hands under center, for better and worse. On any given play, he's liable to launch one deep for a game-changing score or trust his laser arm a bit too much, resembling the riskiest version of Brett Favre. In the end, it's mostly for the better, but it is kind of comical how the Packers' most controlled game plans this year appeared to unfold with injury replacement Malik Willis at the helm.
It's not suffocating, per se, in the way that the Vikings or Pittsburgh Steelers have been. But even with Jaire Alexander, the club's top cover man on the back end, banged up, Hafley's secondary has saved the day with impressive range and timing. McKinney alone has been a takeaway machine, but fellow defensive backs like Keisean Nixon and Evan Williams have also stepped up with some pivotal plays; Williams notably deflected the Rams' final fourth-down pass attempt on Sunday.
Did they show fight after trailing by multiple scores Sunday? Absolutely. Should they be better once Cooper Kupp and/or Puka Nacua return? Absolutely. How long can we wait for things to finally click into gear, though? At 1-4, the odds are increasingly against L.A.'s playoff chances, and not even Stafford, who finished relatively strong, looked totally on the mark for decent stretches Sunday. This group has been more feisty than the post-Super Bowl disaster of 2022, but it's hard not to feel as if Sean McVay is experiencing another injury-riddled downturn, an unfortunate counter to 2023's surprise playoff push.
The Packers (3-2) will return to Lambeau to host the Arizona Cardinals, who came back to upset the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Rams (1-4) will get some much-needed rest on their bye before hosting the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6.
And that's gonna be the ballgame. Fourth-and-5, Matthew Stafford tries one over the middle to a tightly covered Colby Parkinson while facing extra pressure, and Evan Williams defends it perfectly. Packers escape with a 24-19 victory to improve to 3-2, and the banged-up Rams fall to 1-4.
Kyren Williams with a clutch fourth-and-1 carry up the middle, powering through the front to move the chains. Rams still alive. Clock is ticking, though. Only one timeout in L.A.'s pocket, down 24-19.
The Packers have a chance to put this one away by moving the chains and killing clock, but the Rams defense shows up, forcing a punt after four plays. Let's see if Matthew Stafford has one more heroic drive.
So, about Stafford and Co. not exactly enjoying a pretty game: The Rams answer the call on their latest drive, with No. 9 guiding an 11-play, 91-yard series complete with critical-down darts to vets like Colby Parkinson, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington. Robinson gets the wide-open score to officially make this a competition down the stretch, though the Rams' ensuing two-point try is no good.
This also hasn't been a great game from Matthew Stafford, all things considered. He's been streaky through the air and not particularly on the mark when airing it out deep, trying to match Jordan Love's downfield sizzle. Red-zone woes have been present all year, too, and that's continued, with L.A. converting just a single opportunity in that area on the day. They'll need a big turnaround to complete a comeback.
Statistically speaking, the Rams should be closer in this game. They've converted 6 of 12 third downs as opposed to the Packers' 1 of 7, and held the ball for slightly longer, even without some of their top pass targets. Green Bay has hit the splash plays, though, and those two turnovers are killer.
Absorbing all the game's momentum on the heels of a second third-quarter Xavier McKinney takeaway, the Packers go right back to their tight end in scoring range, and Kraft fights through contact to hit paydirt for the second time this afternoon. It's now 24-13 Packers. Matthew Stafford will need some big plays from his replacement pass targets if he wants to avoid a 1-4 start to this season in L.A.
Matthew Stafford keeps trying downfield shots for his replacement wideouts, including Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson, and this time, Xavier McKinney -- who else?! -- takes it for himself, swooping underneath a deep floater to log his fifth pick in five games. This guy's single-handedly led Green Bay's secondary, and he gives the ball back to the Packers with a 17-13 lead.
And just like that, Green Bay is back on top. Right after Xavier McKinney scoops up a Kyren Williams fumble, Jordan Love floats one over the middle for his wide-open tight end, and Tucker Kraft does the rest, unleashing an effortless stiff arm and coasting 66 yards for the score:
The former New York Giants standout now has five in five games for Green Bay, coming in to scoop up a punch-out fumble by Rams running back Kyren Williams. L.A. had been sticking with the ground game for good reason, with Williams approaching 70 yards on 16 carries. Now, it bites them. The Packers get a chance to reclaim the lead, trailing 13-10 with plenty of time left in the third. Kingsley Enagbare with the forced fumble for Jeff Hafley's defense.
The Rams are blitzing Jordan Love more than 50% of the time, per the CBS broadcast, and it's working. The quarterback has been sacked twice, but he's also 9 of 15 with an ugly pick thrown from his own end zone. Matt LaFleur's attack, so efficient during the Malik Willis stretch this year, has become quite volatile.
Another look at Byron Young's pressure on Jordan Love, which prompted the unwieldy toss-turned-pick-six:
Jordan Love is a boom-or-bust type of quarterback, and it's been clear today: One quarter after stunning the L.A. secondary with a deep ball to a triple-covered Jayden Reed, the gunslinger gets shoved into his own end zone for a would-be loss and/or safety, only to sidearm the ball on his way to the ground ... and into the arms of a waiting Jaylen McCollough, who takes it in for the score!
A note on the Rams' RB usage thus far:
Los Angeles gives the ball to Kyren Williams and Blake Corum on nine of 13 plays to drive 55 yards, capping a more-than-seven-minute series with a Williams touchdown. The Packers don't allow any massive gains, but the chipping away evens things up, as we're tied 7-7 about halfway through the second.
Both sides are moving the ball fairly well since their back-to-back punts to open Sunday's game. Tutu Atwell the early favorite for Matthew Stafford, with three catches for 36 yards. But Jordan Love and Jayden Reed's monster downfield connection has Green Bay on top for now, with the latter's improbable 53-yard catch setting up Josh Jacobs' first-quarter scoring run.
Another look at Jayden Reed's wild focus on the Jordan Love bomb that set up Green Bay's score, with Akhello Witherspoon and Quentin Lake in coverage for the Rams:
Triple coverage? Don't tell that to Jordan Love, who airs out an improbable bomb for the speedy Jayden Reed, only to watch his No. 1 target come down with the ball and set up Josh Jacobs' ensuing touchdown run. It's 7-0 Packers early, thanks to the bombastic gunslinging of the man under center.
Six plays. Zero first downs. Both the Packers and Rams seem to be adjusting to their depth-tested lineups.
Welcome aboard, folks. It's Packers-Rams today in a fight of up-and-down NFC contenders. Green Bay is fresh off a comeback effort against the Minnesota Vikings, while Los Angeles is coming off a close loss to the Chicago Bears. Matthew Stafford and Co. will still be without some of their top playmakers out wide, while Jordan Love will also be down a few wideouts, including the injured Christian Watson and suspended Romeo Doubs.
