It’s time for the LA Rams pass rush to make a statement

Prepare for a tough rematch

As the LA Rams prepare for their Week 12 contest against the Green Bay Packers, the team would be well-served to ignore the injury reports. Any guesses why? Well, for starters, the Packers’ offensive line has been forced to go with some reserve starters in the upcoming Week 12 matchup.

So why should the Rams ignore the injury reports?

The Packers have lost their third NFL starting offensive lineman to a season-ending injury. To many, that sets up the hungry LA Rams pass rush to feast on Aaron Rodgers and walk away with an easy win. But if you witnessed the Rams against the Derrick Henry-less Tennessee Titans, you understand that is not how games usually play out.

There are no ‘gimme’ games remaining on the 2021 NFL schedule. Teams that are no longer in the hunt for a playoff berth love to play the spoiler to teams that are. Rosters have been impacted by injuries, and successful teams at this time of year are often simply the healthiest teams.

The Rams cannot prepare for a Week 12 game assuming that they have unfettered access to sacking quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are far too savvy to allow that.  Like the San Francisco 49ers game plan that demolished the Rams, the Packers can simply commit to running the ball 40+ times and never letting the pass rush heat up. Or the Packers can simply go back to the tried and true 2020 strategy of running and mixing in short-yardage high percentage passes.

In all honesty, there is no evidence that the Packers’ reserve offensive linemen are significantly worse than the original starters. The Packers enter the game with an NFL-leading record of 8-3.