The Green Bay Packers put up over 30 points against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, proving offense can win championships, too.
The first matchup of the weekend in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs gave us the No. 1 offense in the NFL in the Green Bay Packers vs. the No. 1 defense in the Los Angeles Rams. When it was all said and done, the offense prevailed.
The Packers defeated the Rams, 32-18, on Saturday evening at Lambeau Field to clinch a berth in next week’s NFC Championship Game. Green Bay will host either the New Orleans Saints or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Entering the Divisional Round, the biggest storyline surrounding the Packers was whether the offense would be able to consistently move the ball against the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense, which allowed just 18.6 points per game during the regular season.
Green Bay not only answered the call, but they showed that their offense alone is good enough to win a Super Bowl.
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Against the Rams, the Packers offense finished with 28 first downs, 296 passing yards, 188 rushing yards, went 8-of-12 on third down, went 3-for-4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, and had zero turnovers and zero sacks allowed. It was a complete performance from all three of Green Bay’s star players on offense.
Running back Aaron Jones was the biggest star of the show, rushing 14 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of the night for Jones was a 60-yard scamper on Green Bay’s opening drive in the second half. On nearly every play it seemed like the Rams couldn’t get Jones down on the first tackle attempt.
Against one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey, receiver Davante Adams hauled in nine catches for 66 yards. He beat Ramsey for the first touchdown of the game and later on a 21-yard catch and run off a quick slant. Adams, who was a near-unanimous first-team All-Pro selection (49-of-50 votes) this season, proved to be the NFL’s best receiver on Saturday.
Of course, nothing on offense would even be possible without quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay’s signal-caller produced a signature stat line, which ended up being more than enough for a double-digit Packers’ victory. Rodgers threw for 296 yards and had three total touchdowns.
Against arguably the NFL’s best defense, Green Bay showed no signs of slowing down after a bye week. The Packers offense is firing on all cylinders, and with one game to go before the Super Bowl, should be considered the favorite to come out of the NFC.
Next week, the Packers will face another tough test against either the Saints or Bucs, both of which have very good defensive units. Still, the way Green Bay looked against Los Angeles should give fans confidence that they have what it takes to win it all.