The No 1 ranked offense overcame the best defence in the NFL as the Green Bay Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams to reach their second-straight NFC Championship – and what will be their first at home since 2011.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 296 yards, two touchdown throws and one ridiculous rushing touchdown as he faked out Rams defender Leonard Floyd with a mean pump fake and walked straight past him. Aaron Jones also ran in for one touchdown. Green Bay scored on each of its first five possessions and hung up 484 total yards, the highest the Rams have given up all season.
The Rams defence came into the game ranked No 1 in the league and invited the Packers to run the ball. Matt LaFleur, head coach of Green Bay, gladly accepted and unleashed his three-headed monster of Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon who ran for a combined 191 yards. On the very first play of the second half, Jones dashed for a 60-yard run.
However, the Rams defence was clearly shorthanded. Aaron Donald, one of the greatest defensive players ever to grace the gridiron, clearly wasn’t 100 per cent. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year had insisted all week that a rib cartilage tear suffered in his previous game would not affect him but found himself sitting on the sideline for half the game. When he was on the field, he was a non-factor as Packers guard Elgton Jenkins has his number all night.
It was the Packers defence who were the ones that showed up big. The pass rush of Kenny Clark, Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary hounded Rams quarterback Jared Goff with a combined four sacks. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander continued his outstanding year, locking down Robert Woods and co. According to Next Gen Stats, Alexander allowed just one catch that went for negative three yards.
It was also a balanced attack for Green Bay as everyone got their share of the ball. Davante Adams had nine catches for 66 yards, Allen Lazard had four catches for 96 yards, Robert Tonyan had four catches for 60 yards and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had four catches for 33 yards.
For the first time this season there was a crowd of 9,000 fans at Lambeau Field, with around 2,000 of those being invited guests such as first responders, healthcare workers, members of the military and family of Packers staff.
On having the crowd back, Rodgers said: ‘It was special and there’s nothing like it. We have really missed that part of this experience so to run out of the tunnel with fans is unbelievable and it’s hard to explain how it feels to have energy from them.’
The Packers will host the winner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus New Orleans Saints game for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
By Charlie Parker
