After a disappointing home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers are headed back on the road to play the struggling Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 5.
The trip to Los Angeles will be the Packers’ first game at SoFi Stadium, which opened in 2020. Green Bay has won four straight games in the series, all at Lambeau Field.
Can the Packers bounce back from a tough divisional defeat and score a win over a beat-up Rams team on the road?
Here’s a closer look at the Rams entering Week 5:
Last week (Loss, 24-18 vs. Bears)
The Rams led 6-0 into the second quarter, but the Bears scored a touchdown in the second, third and fourth quarters and held on late to beat Sean McVay’s team in Chicago. Los Angeles allowed 131 rushing yards and two rushing scores, Matthew Stafford threw an interception late and was sacked three times, and the Rams lost the turnover battle (2-0) and finished 1-for-4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. After cutting the deficit to 24-18, the Rams went three-and-out and had the late turnover. Running back Kyren Williams rushed for 94 yards and a score and Tutu Atwell caught four passes for 82 yards. The loss dropped the Rams to 0-3 on the road to start the 2024 season.
Quarterback play
Veteran Matthew Stafford is completing 69 percent of his passes and averaging 7.5 yards per attempt despite the Rams injury-ravaged offense. With only two touchdown passes paired with two interceptions, Stafford’s passer rating is a mediocre 89.2. Pressure has been a constant — teams have Stafford 13 times, and he’s been under pressure on 34.3 percent of dropbacks. Now 36, Stafford doesn’t move around quite as well, but he’s still one of the great throwers of the ball in the game. He can make every throw and will routinely use alternate arm angles to manipulate or create throwing windows. Stafford’s throwing talent combined with Sean McVay’s offensive design makes the Rams dangerous regardless of who is playing receiver or blocking along the offensive line.
Line of scrimmage
The Rams offensive line ranks 30th in pass-blocking efficiency through four weeks. Injuries are a big reason why. As of Week 4, the Rams are still down two starters: center Jonah Jackson and left guard Steve Avila. They’ve had the same five starters each of the last two weeks, so it’s possible the front five is starting to settle in. Protection was better last week. Defensively, Kobie Turner (18 pressures) and rookie Jared Verse (17) lead the way. Byron Young was a productive pass-rusher for the Rams in 2023, and rookie Braden Fiske has had disruptive moments. All things considered, the Rams cannot be viewed as anything approaching a dominant team along the line of scrimmage. But with the offensive line starting to gain some traction and the flashes from the young players up front on defense, the Rams are far from a pushover.
Turnovers
The Rams have turned the ball over four times and have only three takeaways. Twice, they’ve tied the turnover battle 1-1 (0-2 in those games), and they are 1-0 when winning the turnover battle and 0-1 when losing it. Sean McVay’s team is one of 12 teams with a negative turnover margin this season. Matthew Stafford will occasionally put the ball in harm’s way when trusting his arm — he has six turnover-worthy plays (fifth-most) in 2024, per PFF. Four of those plays have come under pressure.
Injury situation
The Rams are hurting. No way around it. Receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both out, tight end Tyler Higbee is on the PUP list and five different offensive linemen, including starters Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, are on injured reserve. Cornerbacks Darious Williams, Derion Kendrick, Tre Tomlinson are also on injured reserve.
Stat to know
Last week, the Packers faced a stingy Vikings defense that came into Week 4 ranked second in points allowed. The Rams represent something close to the opposite. Los Angeles ranks 31st in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed entering Week 5. The Rams have given up 24 or more points in all four games this season. Tackling has been a big problem.
Players to know
RB Kyren Williams: The NFL’s leader in rushing yards per game last season is having another good season. He has an NFL-high five rushing touchdowns, and his success rate as a runner is still over 50 percent despite averaging only 3.5 yards per rush.
Edge rusher Jared Verse: The rookie looks like the real deal. He leads the Rams with five tackles for losses and four quarterback hits. Amazingly, Verse has missed 11 tackles in four games, suggesting a lack of finishing ability so far. He appears to be the edge version of Devonte Wyatt (17 pressures, only one sack).
WR Tutu Atwell: Atwell is averaging 20.3 yards per catch on 11 catches. He’s small (5-9, 165) but has elite speed. He’s a big-play threat down the field for Matthew Stafford.
WR Jordan Whittington: The rookie out of Texas is averaging over 2.0 yards per route run and 8.6 yards per target over the last three games. He’s a versatile target who lines up outside and in the slot.
