PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: Rams at Packers Preview

Rams at Packers Week 9 Preview is HERE.

Packers try to snap four-game skid as they welcome Rams to Lambeau Field

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-5) at GREEN BAY (2-5)

DATE / TIME / TV: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EST, FOX

SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 49-47-2

LAST MEETING: Packers beat Rams 24-12 at Lambeau Field on Dec. 19, 2022.

LAST WEEK: Rams lost 43-20 at Dallas; Packers lost 24-10 at home to Minnesota Vikings.

RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (17), PASS (8), SCORING (14-T)

PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (25), PASS (21), SCORING (21)

RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (20), PASS (13), SCORING (21)

PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (26), PASS (11), SCORING (20)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Rams minus-2; Packers minus-2

The Green Bay Packers haven’t reached the end zone before halftime in any of their last five games. The Los Angeles Rams gave up four first-half touchdowns when they last took the field.

As the Packers (2-5) host the Rams (3-5) in a Sunday matchup of slumping teams, the game could come down to which of them can avoid falling behind early. The Packers have lost four consecutive games, while the Rams have dropped two straight and three of four.

These stats tell the story about the struggles of these two teams: The Rams fell behind 33-9 in the first half of a 43-20 loss at Dallas on Sunday, as the defense allowed three touchdowns and the offense gave up a pick-6. The Packers have scored more than 24 points over an entire game just once, in a 38-20 season-opening victory at Chicago.

“I think that game, we started fast… I think that’s what we’ve got to get back to – just starting the game fast and being able to put up points on that first drive, second drive,” said Packers quarterback Jordan Love, whose team has totaled just 40 points in its last three games. “It’ll be a snowball effect after that because I think once we get rolling, everybody is making plays and we’re a tough offense to stop.”

The Rams have an uncertain quarterback situation after Matthew Stafford sprained his right thumb at Dallas, preventing him from practicing early this week.

Rams coach Sean McVay wouldn’t rule out the possibility Stafford could play Sunday even without practicing all week. “It’s one of those deals that you give him up until right before the game,” McVay said. “You use all the time necessary for a player like him.”

Brett Rypien would likely start at quarterback if Stafford is unavailable. Although the 27-year-old Rypien has thrown twice as many career interceptions (eight) as touchdown passes (four), he owns a 2-1 record in his three previous starts.

Rypien started one game for the Denver Broncos in 2020 and two more in 2022. The Rams activated him from their practice squad last month. He went 5 of 10 for 42 yards after taking over for the injured Stafford against the Cowboys.

STAFF CONNECTIONS

These two staffs have plenty of familiarity with each other. Packers coach Matt LaFleur was the offensive coordinator on McVay’s Rams staff in 2017. LaFleur and McVay also worked together as NFL assistants in Washington from 2010-13. LaFleur is the older brother of Mike LaFleur, who joined McVay’s staff as offensive coordinator this season. The LaFleurs also faced off last year, when Mike was offensive coordinator for a Jets team that won 27-10 at Green Bay. “It’s a blessing and a curse to be able to go against your friends, but all that goes out the window,” Matt LaFleur said. “You don’t even think about it really throughout the course of the week. It’s just you see them right before gametime, you kind of reconnect really quick and then it’s you’re off to your own sideline and it’s just another opponent out there.”

RAMS’ DYNAMIC DUO

The Rams have one of the NFL’s top receiving tandems in 2021 All-Pro selection Cooper Kupp and rookie Puka Nacua. Kupp has 21 catches for 316 yards and one touchdown in four games since returning from a hamstring injury. Nacua, a fifth-round pick from BYU, is tied for second in the league in receptions (61) and ranks third in yards receiving (795).

MISSING DOUGLAS

Green Bay will be playing its first game since trading veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas plus a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a third-round selection. Douglas intercepted 10 passes since signing with the Packers in October 2021. The loss of Douglas is the latest setback for a Packers secondary that already has cornerback Eric Stokes (hamstring) and safety Darnell Savage (calf) on injured reserve. Douglas’ exit likely means more playing time for rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine as well as Corey Ballentine.

SURGING SMITH

Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith has recorded four sacks over his last three games. He had two sacks and forced a fumble Sunday in the Packers’ 24-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

YOUTH MOVEMENTS

This game features two of the youngest teams in the NFL. The average age of the players on Green Bay’s 53-man roster at the start of the season was 25.13, making the Packers the NFL’s youngest team. The Rams had the third-youngest roster at the start of the season with an average age of 25.45. The Cincinnati Bengals were second at 25.42.

RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH

QB Brett Rypien could make his fourth career start and first for Los Angeles after Matthew Stafford sprained a ligament in his right thumb against the Cowboys. Rypien went 2-1 in three seasons with the Denver Broncos, but threw four touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games there. Rypien’s first regular-season action with the Rams saw him go 5 of 10 passing for 42 yards in relief versus Dallas.

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH

CB Carrington Valentine figures to get a substantial increase in playing time and has an opportunity to make a permanent move into the starting lineup following the trade of Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills. The rookie seventh-round pick from Kentucky already made three starts this season when Jaire Alexander was hurt.

KEY MATCHUP

Rams WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua vs. Packers secondary: While the identity of the Rams’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game remains uncertain, whichever guy ends up taking the snaps could find Kupp and Nacua open for much of the game. Green Bay’s secondary was going to have a hard time matching up with these guys even before Douglas was traded. Alexander was a second-team selection in last season’s All-Pro balloting, but he hasn’t been as effective as usual this season while dealing with a back injury that sidelined him for three games.

WEEK 9 SATURDAY INJURY REPORT

LOS ANGELES RAMS: OUT: LB Ernest Jones (knee), TE Hunter Long (hamstring). QUESTIONABLE: OT Rob Havenstein (calf), QB Matthew Stafford (right thumb), DT Larrell Murchison (knee), CB Cobie Durant (shoulder), WR Puka Nacua (knee). GREEN BAY: QUESTIONABLE: FS Rudy Ford (calf), LB Quay Walker (groin).

SERIES NOTES

The Packers have won five in a row at Lambeau Field in the series, including last season’s game and a 32-18 victory in the NFC divisional playoffs on Jan. 16, 2021. … The Rams’ previous win in Green Bay came in 2006, a 23-20 triumph in which Marc Bulger outdueled Brett Favre… Packers coach Matt LaFleur has a 3-0 record against Rams coach Sean McVay… LaFleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017 during the first year of McVay’s head coaching tenure. LaFleur and McVay also spent four seasons working together as assistants on Mike Shanahan’s Washington staff.

STATS AND STUFF

Rams DL Aaron Donald is tied for second in the NFL with 10 tackles for loss this season. It is Donald’s 10th consecutive season with double-digit stops in the backfield. He has 170 tackles for loss in 146 regular-season games… WR Puka Nacua leads all rookies with 752 yards receiving, well ahead of Jordan Addison (482) of the Minnesota Vikings in second. Nacua’s 314 yards after the catch by itself would rank seventh among first-year players… The Rams allowed four passing touchdowns to Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on Sunday after allowing a total of four through their first seven games… Los Angeles significantly overhauled its defensive front this offseason, but the new OLB pairing of Michael Hoecht (3½ sacks) and rookie Byron Young (three) has been effective in rushing the passer… Rams OC Mike LaFleur is the younger brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur… The Packers have lost four straight… The Packers have been outscored 73-9 in the first half of their past five games and haven’t scored a first-half touchdown in any of them. Their most recent first-half touchdown came Sept. 17 in a 25-24 loss at Atlanta… Packers OLB Preston Smith has had four sacks over his past three games… Packers DL Kenny Clark has 4½ sacks in four meetings with the Rams, including the postseason… Packers DL T.J. Slaton had career highs last week in tackles (nine), solo tackles (four) and tackles for loss (two). He was the first Packers defensive lineman to have at least nine overall tackles and two tackles for loss in the same game since Ryan Pickett did it against Detroit on Dec. 12, 2010.