It took 15 weeks and a terrible opponent, but the Green Bay Packers finally put together a three-phased performance that most were expecting from Matt LaFleur’s team in 2022 during Monday night’s 24-12 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The offense got 197 total yards and three scores on 35 touches from running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, the defense created five sacks and held the Rams to only 156 total yards, and the special teams made no big blunders and actually created a handful of important plays.
The performance certainly wasn’t perfect (two turnovers), and it didn’t resemble the aesthetically-pleasing blowouts from the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but the Packers soundly beat the visiting Rams – who are now eliminated from the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl last year – to create a two-game winning streak and keep the team’s playoff hopes alive entering Week 16.
“We’ve won two and just about everything we needed to happen has gone our way. Just about, right? So things are looking up,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.
The Packers now go on the road to play the Miami Dolphins in six days. The Christmas Day showdown is the next game on the schedule but also the most crucial matchup left, given the fact that the Packers will finish the season with home games against the Vikings and Lions. Winning in Miami could be the jolt of confidence and energy this team needs to get past two division rivals in the cold and create the 9-8 record required to sneak into the postseason.
A lot still needs to go right for the Packers over the final three weeks, but a one-sided win over the Rams kept the dream alive for at least another week.
Here are three things that stood out from Monday night: