3 takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Rams

The Green Bay Packers used an early touchdown from Josh Jacobs, a second-half surge fueled by two takeaways from Xavier McKinney and two touchdowns from Tucker Kraft, and a late defensive stop to beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium to defeat.

The win was Green Bay’s first against an NFC opponent and improved the Packers to 3-2 overall after five weeks. Matt LaFleur’s team hosts the Arizona Cardinals next week.

Here are three takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Rams:

1. The offense remains explosive but inconsistent

The Packers gained 187 of their 323 total yards on seven explosive plays – a 66-yard catch by Tucker Kraft, a 53-yard catch by Jayden Reed, a 21-yard catch by Josh Jacobs, runs of 11 and 13 yards Jacobs, an 11-yard run by Reed and a 12-yard scramble by Jordan Love. Explosive plays were common for the Packers – they ranked first in Week 5 in total catches of 20 or more yards and runs of 10 or more yards. But the down consistency needs to be improved. Despite four explosive runs, the Packers still averaged just 4.2 yards per carry. Love averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt on his other 24 attempts, not including Kraft’s 66-yarder and Reed’s 53-yarder. Dontayvion Wicks doesn’t finish any catches. Reed had a drop on third down. The Packers had three false start penalties. Love was sacked twice, including once on third down, and had a fumble out of bounds that resulted in him losing yards. The offense appears to be on the verge of a major breakthrough, but consistency – the difference between good and great – is proving to be a major final hurdle.

2. The defensive front needs to be better

To truly be championship worthy, the Packers’ defense must awaken from an early season slumber. Matthew Stafford ended up being sacked three times and pressure from Edgerrin Cooper helped get the Packers off the field in the game-winning fourth period, but outside of a half, Tennessee’s front didn’t consistently look disruptive. Jeff Hafley has to bring more and more defenders to create pressure, and the four-man rush ends with too many quarterbacks throwing from clean pockets. The Rams were shorthanded at receiver and couldn’t consistently take advantage. But most good teams will — and the Packers have plans to play big games against good teams in January. Rashan Gary didn’t have a quarterback hit and was mostly quiet again on Sunday. He needs an escape, and soon.

3. Never undercut an away win

Take credit for this win if you will, but it’s not easy to win on the road in the NFL, especially when your team is dealing with a significant midweek distraction (Romeo Doubs’ suspension) and a lengthy injury list has to fight. The Rams suffered setbacks with several key players, but Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford won a Super Bowl together, and the Rams are rapidly improving on offense and defense. The Packers were admittedly sloppy, especially in the first half and even late, but Matt LaFleur’s team made enough plays to win the game. There’s something to be said about going on tour and winning when you don’t have the best. Think of games in Atlanta, Las Vegas or Denver early last year. All narrow losses. The Packers are obviously on their way to playing their best football, but winning along the way definitely helps.

Other tidbits: Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson hit a 46-yard field goal, temporarily lowering the temperature on his hot seat…In place of Devonte Wyatt, second-year defensive lineman Karl Brooks produced 1.5 sacks and applied pressure on the interception of Xavier McKinney from… Tucker Kraft chewed up yards after the catch, and one wonders if the Packers might consider focusing more passing on his elite attribute… Rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is a major blitz threat, especially on stunts where he has his Can use elite athleticism to get around the corner and close shot at the quarterback… The Packers won the turnover battle for the fourth time in five weeks.