3 bold claims for LA Rams in NFL Playoffs Divisional Round

Bold claim III

The LA Rams defense will hold the Green Bay Packers offense to under 20 points. Yes, the LA Rams were banged up a bit in the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks.  Yes, the Green Bay Packers enjoyed a cozy bye week to rest and heal up for today’s matchup.  And yes, the Green Bay Packers boast the top scoring offense in the NFL.

But have you looked at the story behind the numbers recently? The Packers played five games this season against the bottom five defenses of the NFL. They played the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Detroit Lions twice, and the Minnesota Vikings twice. That’s not exactly bowling over stiff competition.  So what about good defenses?

Well, the Packers only faced a top-ten NFL defense three times this season. While they defeated the New Orleans Saints, they lost to the Indianapolis Colts and to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Utilmately, the Packers were only 1-2 this season when facing a good defense this season.

Conversely, the Rams are 3-2 when facing a top ten offense, and 3-1 when facing a bottom ten offense. So the Rams defense did not pad its dominance on inferior teams. Rather, the Rams have improved steadily all season. After all, this is a new defensive scheme, and it’s taken quite a while for the coaches and players to acclimate to its successful deployment.

The discussion this week about the NFL has been about Aaron. Yes, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Yes Packers running back Aaron Jones. But what of Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald? Not so much. And that will change after the game.

The Rams take away what offenses want to do. And that creates problems for opposing teams.  The Packers are designed to get a lead on the offense, and for the defense to protect it. So what happens if the offense doesn’t get a big lead?