Rams embarrassed by loss in Green Bay: ‘It was a humbling game’
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Were these the old days, the Rams might have the satisfaction of burning the game film from Sunday’s 20-3 debacle at Lambeau Field. They could have destroyed the evidence and warmed their hands on a chilly and damp Wisconsin evening.
Instead, they’ve got to live with the high-definition reality of a lopsided loss to the three-win Green Bay Packers, who were on a four-game losing slide.
“It was a humbling game,” said Rams coach Sean McVay, whose team has lost three in a row.
Told of that assessment, receiver Cooper Kupp said, “Humbling’s a word. Crappy would be good too.”
Brett Rypien and Rams can’t keep up with Packers in 20-3 loss
🏈 Packers 20, Rams 3 — FINAL
Brett Rypien struggled to lead the Rams offense in the wake of Matthew Stafford’s absence while Jordan Love and the Packers squeezed out just enough yards against a mostly stingy L.A. defense to win at Lambeau Field.
A 31-yard run by Emanuel Wilson with a little more than a minute left sealed the win for Green Bay, which ended a four-game losing streak.
Rypien completed 13 of 28 passes for 130 yards, with an interception. Royce Freeman was held to 32 rushing yards in 12 carries.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love connected on 20 of 26 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Jones rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries. The Rams sacked Love four times, with Byron Young recording two.
The Rams managed only 187 yards of total offense. They were five for 14 on third down and had two turnovers. Going into the bye week, the Rams are hopeful Stafford will be back under center when the Rams play the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 19.
Packers take commanding lead on Luke Musgrave TD catch
🏈 Packers 20, Rams 3 — 3:41 left in the fourth quarter
Packers tight end Luke Musgrave caught his first NFL touchdown pass on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Love to more or less seal the game for Green Bay in the final minutes.
The touchdown pass capped an eight-play, 72-yard drive that featured Love connecting on a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Christian Watson.
Packers extend lead on another Anders Carlson field goal
🏈 Packers 13, Rams 3 — 9:04 left in the fourth quarter
Anders Carlson kicked a 34-yard field goal after the Packers capitalized on a Brett Rypien interception.
The Rams quarterback was picked off while trying to target Cooper Kupp. Packers quarterback Jordan Love then orchestrated a seven-play, 34-yard drive to move Green Bay into field goal position.
Packers extend lead on an Anders Carlson field goal
🏈 Packers 10, Rams 3 — 2:10 left in the third quarter
Anders Carlson kicked a 26-yard field goal to extend the Packers lead, but a big play from Aaron Donald prevented Green Bay from potentially finding the end zone.
Donald sacked Jordan Love on third down, diving to trip the quarterback as he tried to run for a first down.
The seven-play, 53-yard drive was spurred by an 18-yard catch from wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks and a 25-yard reception from tight end Luke Musgrave.
Lucas Havrisik misses a 49-yard field-goal attempt for Rams
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 3 — 6:29 left in the third quarter
Lucas Havrisik missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt in the wet conditions at Lambeau Field to squander another Rams scoring chance.
After Duke Shelley’s fumble recovery, the Rams couldn’t pick up a first down on three carries by Royce Freeman. The Rams have just 128 yards of total offense.
Duke Shelley recovers a Packers fumble to give Rams good field position
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 3 — 8:09 left in the third quarter
Packers running back Aaron Jones fumbled the ball and Rams cornerback Duke Shelley recovered it to give the Rams another chance to take the lead.
Shelley returned the ball nine yards to the Green Bay 36-yard line.
The Packers have lost the ball on their last two drives. They had not lost a fumble in their previous 80 possessions. The rainy conditions at Lambeau Field isn’t making it easy to hold on to the ball.
Ahkello Witherspoon recovers fumble at start of second half
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 3 — 14:51 left in the third quarter
Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage in the second half after a huge Packers kick return.
Dontayvion Wicks fumbled after making a 10-yard catch and Witherspoon managed to pick it up at the Rams’ 42. The turnover came one play after Keisean Nixon returned the ball 51 yards on the second half opening kickoff.
Unfortunately for the Rams, they couldn’t do anything with the ball. An offensive pass interference penalty on Puka Nacua and a delay of game penalty forced the Rams’ fourth punt of the day.
Packers miss field-goal attempt at end of first half
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 3 — Halftime
Packers kicker Anders Carlson missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in the first half to cap what has been a showcase of offensive mediocrity.
After the Rams got their first points on a 52-yard Lucas Havrisik field goal, the Packers quickly moved into Rams territory thanks, in part, to a 17-yard reception from Romeo Doubs and a 10-yard catch from Jayden Reed. Ultimately, it was all for naught.
As for the Rams, they’ve been held to just 91 yards of total offense. Quarterback Brett Rypien, filling in for the injured Matthew Stafford, completed three of eight passes for 48 yards. Rypien also has a team-leading 19 rushing yards on three carries. Most of the Rams’ offense came on a 34-yard catch by Cooper Kupp that set up Havrisik’s field goal.
Love completed eight of 13 passes for 68 yards and Aaron Jones has 38 yards and a touchdown in 12 carries.
Seven penalties for 47 yards played a significant role in stymieing the Packers’ efforts to find the end zone.
Lucas Havrisik kicks a 52-yard field goal to get Rams on scoreboard
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 3 — 1:42 left in the second quarter
Lucas Havrisik kicked a 52-yard field goal for the Rams’ first points late in the first half.
The field goal came at the end of a 13-play, 56-yard drive that included a 34-yard pass from Brett Rypien to Cooper Kupp. The one pass has accounted for more than a third of the Rams’ total offense so far.
Aaron Jones touchdown run pushes Packers into the lead
🏈 Packers 7, Rams 0 — 14:19 left in the second quarter
Aaron Jones scored on a three-yard run as the Packers capitalized on Rams quarterback Brett Rypien’s fumble to take the lead.
A 12-yard run by AJ Dillon and five carries for 22 yards by Jones fueled the seven-play, 41-yard drive.
The Rams have just 28 yards of total offense (compared to the Packers’ 98).
Rams QB Brett Rypien fumbles the ball away
🏈 Rams 0, Packers 0 — 2:10 left in the first quarter
The Rams lost the ball on their second possession when Brett Rypien bobbled the snap and fumbled the ball when he tried to throw it away. Jonathan Owens knocked the ball out of Rypien’s hand and De’Vondre Campbell recovered it on the Rams’ 41.
The rain started to pick up at Lambeau Field late in the first quarter and created some slippery conditions.
Rams and Packers scoreless in the first quarter
🏈 Rams 0, Packers 0 — 5:51 left in the first quarter
The Rams and Packers couldn’t generate much on their first possessions.
Other than a 10-yard reception by Puka Nacua, the Rams’ first drive fizzled out at midfield.
Thanks to the efforts of Aaron Donald and Byron Young up front for the Rams, the Packers couldn’t generate much rhythm on offense. After converting on one fourth down, an offsides penalty on fourth-and-one forced them to punt.
Brothers Mike LaFleur of Rams and Matt of Packers enemies for a day
The Green Bay Packers locker room was not a happy place after a defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 season’s NFC Championship game.
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach at the time, so he paid a visit to older brother Matt, the Packers’ head coach.
“He’s damn near in tears because he feels so bad for me,” Matt said Thursday during a video conference with Los Angeles area reporters. “I’m like, ‘Dude.’... That’s just kind of the relationship we have.
“We’re as close as any two brothers, especially in this league, could be. I’m always pulling for him. I’m always trying to help him — except for when we play each other.”
On Sunday at Lambeau Field, the LaFleurs will be on opposite sidelines for the seventh time.
Matthew Stafford inactive for Rams; Brett Rypien gets the start
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brett Rypien will start at quarterback for the Rams on Sunday, replacing the injured Matthew Stafford.
It will be the first start for Rypien since Week 15 of last season when he was under center for the Denver Broncos in a victory over Arizona.
Stafford, who suffered a sprained UCL in his right thumb in last Sunday’s loss at Dallas, did not practice this week, although he was designated by coach Sean McVay as day to day.
Rypien replaced Stafford against the Cowboys, completing five of 10 passes for 42 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
In eight games, Stafford has thrown for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Rams have a bye next week, which will afford Stafford more time to recover and return.
Rams’ offense will have a different look with Brett Rypien at quarterback
Quarterback Brett Rypien spent the first eight weeks of the Rams’ season taking second-team reps behind starter Matthew Stafford.
That meant rarely working with star receiver Cooper Kupp and other starters such as Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell.
But with a potential starting role against the Green Bay Packers looming, Rypien this week is working with the first-team offense.
“Nice to get some reps, finally, with those guys,” Rypien said after practice Wednesday.
Rams vs. Packers matchups: How to watch, start time and prediction
Breaking down how the Rams (3-5) and Green Bay Packers (2-5) match up heading into their game Sunday at 10 a.m. PST at Lambeau Field. The game will be televised on Fox.
When Rams have the ball
Brett Rypien is expected to start at quarterback in place of Matthew Stafford, who suffered a right thumb sprain during a 43-20 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Coach Sean McVay said the Rams would wait until game time to make a decision about Stafford’s status, but the 15th-year pro did not practice this week and McVay would not confirm whether he could even grip a football.
Rams not showing Matthew Stafford’s hand: QB questionable heading into Sunday
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is nursing a right thumb sprain, will be listed as questionable Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, coach Sean McVay said Friday.
“We’ll take it all the way up until game time,” McVay said before practice.
Stafford has not practiced this week, and McVay declined to specify whether the 15th-year pro can grip a football.
“Making good progress,” McVay said.