GREEN BAY – One less. Three more to go.
The Green Bay Packers came out of their end-of-season break with any faith, a small glimmer of hope, that a mildly miraculous sprint to the playoffs might be possible. They need a lot of help to get there from the commanders of Washington, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
Above all, they needed to help themselves.
The Packers took the first step toward that goal on Monday night, beating the ill-fated Los Angeles Rams 24-12 inside frozen Lambeau Field. The four-win Rams were an early Christmas present, a terrible team from a hot climate that seemed lifeless for most of Monday night. To have a chance in the playoffs — namely, to win — the Packers must accept their gifts. Above all, they failed to take advantage of these opportunities this season.
They only beat one other double-digit opponent. It came back in week 2.
THE SCORE OF THE BOX: Packers 24, Rams 12
Larger testing is coming, starting later this week on Christmas Day. To win the rest of their schedule, they’ll have to weather the heat and humidity of South Florida, against a Miami Dolphins team battling for a playoff spot. After two straight wins, it looks like the Packers are clicking more than they possibly have all season. If they’re officially hot, they picked a good time for it.
Here are some observations on Monday night’s win:
AJ Dillon shaves Rams defense
It’s cold. That means it’s time for AJ Dillon to warm up. With temperatures in the teens, the Packers offense rolled over Dillon on Monday night. Dillon had two touchdowns, the first an 8-yard run that ended with the bulldozer of three Rams defensemen on the goal line. The second, a 2-yard run, opened up a 17-6 lead for the Packers with 8:04 left in the third quarter. Dillon has scored a touchdown in each of the past three games, four in total in that streak. Before that, the killer tailback had a touchdown in the first 11 games of the season. It’s no coincidence that the last three games have been played in Philadelphia, Chicago and Green Bay, each after Thanksgiving. Dillon was drafted in the second round largely because of his form for a cold weather team. Aaron Jones finished with the better line, gaining 90 yards on 17 carries (average of 5.4 yards). Dillon’s ability to punish the defense was a big part of the night for Jones. Dillon finished with 36 yards on 11 carries before coming out and being assessed for a concussion, but his two scores set the tone.
Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson well matched
For the fourth time this season, rookie receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs played an entire game together. In context, that’s a bit misleading. Because it was Doubs’ first time on the field since Watson exploded into something of a supernova, scoring eight touchdowns in four games heading into Monday night. So it was the first time to see how Doubs and Watson fit together in this form after the former missed the last four games with a sprained ankle, and early returns were promising. Watson was quieter than he was, although his speed remained a perceived threat, particularly on a 16-yard pass interference penalty on a deep shot in the second half. His ability to stretch the field also opened things up for the Doubs. It’s easy to forget now, but it was the Doubs that stood out first this season. Since training camp, he has shown his potential. Doubs finished with a team-best five catches for 55 yards, each coming at the short and middle levels. Watson added four catches on six targets for 46 yards. In theory, Doubs’ ability to work the underground routes should be a good complement with Watson. That’s how it went on the pitch Monday night.
Packers defense lives in Rams backfield
Kenny Clark set the tone early on, breaking through the Rams offensive line in the first two games. He couldn’t reach Akers’ tailback on the first, which allowed him to gain 15 yards. At second, Clark dropped Akers for a 2-yard loss. The rest of the Packers’ defensive front followed suit, wrecking the Rams’ offense all the way to Monday’s win. The Packers had three sacks, six quarterback hits and four tackles for a first-half loss alone. The third sack, a missile blitz from rookie linebacker Quay Walker, forced Baker Mayfield to fumble (the Rams recovered). The Rams entered Monday night allowing 46 sacks this season, fourth most in the NFL. Even without Rashan Gary (torn ACL), the Packers showed they had enough passing to dominate a poor offensive line.
Keisean Nixon pushes through punt returns
The Packers coaching staff has been slow to respond to their personnel this season. It took too long to move Yosh Nijman to the right tackle. It took too long to replace Darnell Savage at security with Rudy Ford. Their special teams were not spared. How it took the Packers two whole months to give Keisean Nixon a chance to return a punt is an absolute mystery. It’s not like they don’t know Nixon well. Rich Bisaccia, the Packers’ freshman special teams coordinator, served as Nixon’s special teams coordinator for three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He switched to starting returner much earlier this season, but it wasn’t until Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys that he fielded a punt. Since then, the Packers’ punt return game has come alive. Nixon has six punt returns for 92 yards this season – an average of 15.3 yards – including a pair of returns for 36 yards Monday night. Amari Rodgers, who was released a few weeks ago, had 139 yards on 20 returns (average of 7 yards). Nixon is unconventional, even daring, coming up with punts that others might not. It’s a risky way to live, but he had no problems on the pitch in his six attempts. So far, the reward has far exceeded the wager.
Insider:The turning point in the Packers’ victory was the penalty kick by Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey
Following:Gary Knafelc, longtime Green Bay Packers player, announcer, dead at 90
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