Rams come up short again in loss to Packers

                          Los Angeles Rams #9 Matthew Stafford (QB) is being forced to step up in the pocket by the Green Bay Packers.                                                                                                                                            Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

INGLEWOOD, CA – “This one hurts.” Those were the first words out of coach Sean McVay’s mouth after his Los Angeles Rams (1-4) lost yet another narrow battle, 24-19 to the Green Bay Packers (3-2) at SoFi Stadium.

Jordan Love had 224 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception for the Packers. Tucker Kraft was the recipient of both of those scores, gaining 88 receiving yards on four receptions. Matthew Stafford had 260 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception in defeat for the Rams who now have lost three of their games by a single score.

The Packers struck first with Love showcasing his arm early airing out a 53-yard-dime to Jayden Reed who hauled it in at the four-yard line with three Rams defenders draping him in coverage. On the following play, Josh Jacobs charged up the middle before bouncing off bodies, cutting it back to the sideline, sticking his arm around the pylon scoring with his second effort. His first rushing touchdown of the season gave the Packers a 7-0 lead with 6:45 left in the first quarter.

      Green Bay Packers #10 Jordan Love (QB) 53-yard pass downfield to his wide receiver Jayden Reed. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

The Rams ensuing possession was a balance of air and ground attack, starting with Tutu Atwell with back-to-back receptions followed by a 30-yard run by Kyren Williams. The run was Williams’ longest of the season and put the Rams in the red zone, a place they’ve struggled mightily this year.

A pair of runs got the Rams to the four-yard line and after an incompletion on third-down, McVay elected to go for it on fourth down hoping to spark his offense. It backfired as the fuse didn’t light with the Packers defense forcing the turnover on downs. The Rams left empty-handed continuing their early season Red Zone woes and first-half offensive struggles.

The Rams have only mustered one touchdown and 19 points total in the first half of their previous four games, both last place in the NFL.

              Los Angeles Rams #23 Kyren Williams (RB) ran into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

In the second quarter, Stafford led the Rams down the field and into the red zone with McVay inserting running back Blake Corum. The rookie got the Rams to the one-yard line with Williams finishing it off diving over the top of the Packers defensive line for the one-yard score. It was the eighth straight game with a rushing touchdown for Williams as the Rams tied the game 7-7 with 9:47 remaining in the second quarter.

Right before the half, Love was scrambling deep in his endzone when Rams linebacker Byron Young got a blindside hit on the young quarterback who foolishly tried to avoid the safety by throwing to the line of scrimmage as he was falling out the back of the endzone. Jaylen McCollough intercepted the wobbly pass scoring on the four-yard pick-six giving the Rams a 13-7 lead. An ensuing missed extra point kick by Joshua Karty left the Rams a 13-7 lead with 2:02 remaining.

The Packers drove down the field in the final two minutes and settled for a field goal as time expired as the Rams took a 13-10 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, Green Bay’s offense erupted, scoring 14 unanswered points off of Ram turnovers. The Rams faced a 24-13 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

                    Los Angeles Rams #39 Jaylen McCollough (S) celebrating his interception with his teammates for a 4-yard touchdown.                                                                                                                                  Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1. 

Down double-digits late in the game, Stafford led the Rams down the field culminating in a one-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson to trim the lead. A failed two-point conversion left the Rams down 24-19 with 3:30 remaining.

After getting the ball back in the final two minutes, Stafford needed a touchdown to win. The Packer defense stepped up forcing the Rams to stall out forty yards from the endzone with Stafford unloading a bad pass on fourth down sealing the game with a 24-19 win.

“We gave ourselves a chance,” said McVay. “There were some turnovers that really cost us, some negatives that moved us back.”

While some may write off the Rams season with their 1-4 record, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Last season the Rams were 3-6 entering their bye week and came out fresh, rejuvenated looking like a brand-new team winning seven of their last eight games to make the playoffs. With only one of their losses this season being by more than one touchdown, it can be argued the Rams are a few plays away from being 4-1 right now.

As it remains, the Rams haven’t had the pieces they need to finish out games with wins. Help is on the way though, with Cooper Kupp eyeing a Week 7 return coming out of the bye with Puka Nacua not far behind. With those two All-Pro receivers back in tow, things will improve offensively.

“It’s still a long year ahead,” said rookie Blake Corum. “There’s a lot of games left, we have a bye week, this is a good chance for guys to get healthy, regroup as a team, and come back stronger than ever.”

The Rams return to SoFi Stadium on Sunday, October 20th to face the Oakland Raiders (2-3) with both teams trying to turn their seasons around.