Behind Enemy Lines: Intriguing Packer views on the Week 9 showdowns with Rams

The LA Rams are heading to face the Green Bay Packers on the road at Lambeau Field once more. How is it that the Rams always seem to play AT Green Bay, Wisconsin every year, despite the fact that the Packers are not in the NFC Western Division? Just one of the unsolvable mysteries of life. Or, perhaps it is simply a mystery of NFL schedulers trying to place a fair weather team like the Rams into the path of a cold arctic blast or even snowy conditions?

Despite November 2023, the weather forecast has been unseasonably warm for Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sunday, November 5, 2023. So the Rams and Packers will play football in Los Angeles-like conditions.

Still, it's the Packers, a team that has had almost as much success against the Rams as the San Francisco 49ers in recent years. And that means that it's time to get a Green Bay Packers perspective from our Packers expert, Dairyland Express aficionado and contributor, Paul Bretl.

Paul Bretl has graciously agreed to answer some of our questions about the struggles and puzzles about a 2-5 Green Bay Packers team. While the Packers are worst off than the Rams at the moment, if they win in Week 9, the will match the Rams in terms of a 3-5 record, and actually have a tie-breaker if both the Rams and Packers are in position to compete in post-season.

Conversely, the loser of this game will be firmly entrenched in the Top-10 of the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. While that is not enough of an incentive to outright lose, or for fans to cheer for an unfavorable outcome, it isn't a bad consolation prize for two proud and excellent NFL franchises to face in a season when the NFL Playoffs feel out of the question for either team.

Okay, let's get to these questions, and the intel from Paul Bretl about the Green Bay Packers:

DE Paul Bretl answers Ramblin Fan questions for Week 9

1. I: Rumors are starting over the Packers' disappointment with QB Jordan Love in favor of rookie QB Sean Clifford. What has led to these rumors, and what is the likely outcome?
2. II: The Packers opted to sell at the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline. trading DB Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills. Is this a mild indication of surrender for the 2023 NFL season? Did the Packers get FMV for Douglas in the trade?
3. III: The Green Bay Packers are 2-5. What area has been the team's biggest disappointment? It's most pleasant surprise?
4. IV: Do the Packers still have a path to the NFL Playoffs? What does that look like?
5. V: The LA Rams do not exactly have a great track record against the Packers in recent years. How can the struggling Packers continue that streak? Is there any sentiment among fans to lose the game and preserve a quite favorable position in the 2024 NFL Draft?
6. Bonus: Game prediction

I: Rumors are starting over the Packers' disappointment with QB Jordan Love in favor of rookie QB Sean Clifford. What has led to these rumors, and what is the likely outcome?

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
Jordan Love is not going to be benched. At the very bare minimum, the Packers are going to evaluate him for the entire 2023 season before making a decision on what the future holds. Objective No. 1 for the Packers this season was to figure out if Love could be their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, but admittedly, that has been difficult to evaluate with all of the chaos going on around him.

There are certainly areas where Love has to improve, and the first seven games haven't provided any clarity on whether or not he can be the guy. However, the circumstances around him have been far from favorable. The offensive line play - a supposed strength coming into the season - has been subpar. Receivers are running the wrong routes and dropping passes, not to mention that penalties have been a major issue for this team as well. Right now, the Packers are living in obvious passing situations, which isn't a recipe for success for any young offense.

II: The Packers opted to sell at the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline. trading DB Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills. Is this a mild indication of surrender for the 2023 NFL season? Did the Packers get FMV for Douglas in the trade?

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
(Green Bay Packers GM) Brian Gutekunst said that it wasn't the Packers' intention to trade Rasul Douglas, or anyone for that matter, but the Bills reached out and ultimately made an offer that was "too good to pass up."

As GM, it's about striking a balance between helping the team compete at the moment and also keeping an eye on the future. At 2-5, in a season that was already deemed a bit of a reset before the year even began, the Packers had the opportunity to get a top 100 pick and clear roughly $7.5 million in cap space for next offseason on a player who only had one year left on his contract.

III: The Green Bay Packers are 2-5. What area has been the team's biggest disappointment? It's most pleasant surprise?

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
As alluded to already, the biggest disappointment is the offense. In the Packers last five games, they've been outscored 73-9 in the first halves of games. The truly concerning aspect is that many of the same issues this team experienced last Sunday against (the) Minnesota (Vikings) have been persistent for a month now.

Due to self-inflicted mistakes, such as the aforementioned penalties, dropped passes, missed blocks, etc., this offense has put itself in long down-and-distance situations routinely, which gives the defense the advantage and allows them to do the dictating. The passing game just isn't anywhere near good enough right now to shoulder the playmaking burden in those predictable situations. That leads to short drives, then punts, and the offense can never fully get into its gameplan. Then, as the defense gives up points, there becomes even more of a burden on the inconsistent passing game, and the vicious cycle continues to repeat itself.

Individually, there have been some really good performances this season by a few players, most notably Rashan Gary, who returned in Week 1 from an ACL injury suffered last season. Working his
way back from injury, the Packers eased Gary back in from a snap count standpoint earlier in the season, but he made the most of the opportunities. Gary currently ranks second among all edge rushers in PFF's pass rush win rate metric. Second-year right tackle Zach Tom has looked the part, and at a position for the Packers that has some uncertainty in 2024 and beyond, Tom looks like he could be a long-term answer at a key position. 

IV: Do the Packers still have a path to the NFL Playoffs? What does that look like?

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
Mathematically, sure, the Packers could make a run. However, there has been nothing from their play on the field to suggest that will happen. Of course, the Packers want to win, but the ultimate goal is to
figure out whether or not they can build around Love moving forward. Beyond the win-loss columns, what matters most right now is seeing progress from the offense over the final 10 games.

V: The LA Rams do not exactly have a great track record against the Packers in recent years. How can the struggling Packers continue that streak? Is there any sentiment among fans to lose the game and preserve a quite favorable position in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
Green Bay has to find a way to play some form of complementary football. The offense can't pick up a first down in the first half, let alone score, and the defense is allowing the most plays per drive this season. The Packers then find themselves in an early hole, become one-dimensional, and get away from their game plan on offense while the defense struggles to get off the field.

The offense ends up holding the ball for a very small portion of the first half, and the defense has been out there far too long. Again, it's a vicious cycle they can't get out of. I'm not sure that it would lead to a victory, but step one for this team is to put up a touchdown early and for the defense to get a few stops. At least at that point, they'd have a fighting chance.

Bonus: Game prediction

Dairyland Express Paul Bretl:
Prediction: If Matthew Stafford were playing, I'd pick the Rams. However, with it looking like Brett Eypien will get the start, I'll cautiously pick the Packers. For many of the reasons already discussed, as I'm sure you can tell, there aren't a ton of reasons to be confident in this team right now. 

Packers 17 - Rams 13

The LA Rams certainly have a new challenge in Week 9. Before the injury to LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, I would have been cautiously optimistic about Week 9. Now? Not so much. The Rams folded every bit as much as the Cowboys did when facing the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the season.

While Week 9 will not flex into any NFL prime-time coverage, it will be a good game nevertheless. The parity and history of the LA Rams and the Green Bay Packers will keep this game very intriguing for NFL fans nationwide. We'd like to extend our warmest wishes to Dairyland Express and Paul Bretl once again.

While both teams need a win to get back on track, I fear that the LA Rams need this victory just a bit more. If the Rams can claw their way back to 4-5 before their BYE week, plenty of positive things can still happen this season.

But, hoping for a Rams rally to find its beginning at Lambeau Field seems awfully desperate. What are your thoughts. Can the Rams finally break the Lambeau losing streak?