Monday Night Football Recap: Rodgers, suffocating defense lead Packers to 24-12 win over Rams

The Green Bay Packers used a precision second half from Aaron Rodgers, along with a suffocating defensive effort, to outlast the Los Angeles Rams 24-12 on a cold and blustery night at Lambeau Field.

Rodgers finished the night 22-for-30 for 229 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Rodgers was dominant in the second half, going 12-of-15 for 111 yards and a touchdown.

The Packers’ defense stymied the Rams all game long, holding Los Angeles to just 156 total yards. Baker Mayfield, making his first start for the Rams since being claimed on waivers from the Carolina Panthers, was just 12-for-21 for 111 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.

After forcing Los Angeles to punt on the game’s opening drive, Green Bay marched down the field, getting all the way to the Rams 5-yard line before a Leonard Floyd sack of Rodgers on third-and-goal forced the Packers to settle for a 34-yard Mason Crosby field goal to open the scoring.

L.A. finally broke through early in the second quarter following a Taylor Rapp interception of Rodgers. The Rams drove 38 yards on nine plays to set up a Matt Gay 33-yard field goal to square the score at 3.

Green Bay would answer right back with an 11-play, 74-yard drive, the last 8 yards coming on a bruising touchdown run from A.J. Dillon, who had 40 total yards on the drive. The Dillon TD run would give The Packers a 10-3 advantage.

Matt Gay’s second FG of the first half, this one from 55 yards out in the final minute of the half, pulled the Rams within four. The 55-yarder by Gay was just the third 50-plus-yard field goal in the storied history of Lambeau Field in temperatures of 25 degrees or less.

Green Bay would come out firing to start the second half, taking almost seven minutes off the clock on an 11-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with A.J. Dillon’s second touchdown run of the contest, this one from 1-yard out to extend the Packers’ advantage to 11. Aaron Rodgers would go 6-of-6 for 56 yards on the drive, which was aided by two crucial defensive penalties by L.A.

Each side would reach the end zone before the end of the third quarter, and after a Matt Gay missed extra point, Green Bay would lead 24-12 heading to the fourth quarter.

The early portion of the fourth quarter was sloppy with both offenses turning the ball over once and punting once, and neither club able to score.

The Packers would then get the ball at their own 14-yard line with 8:51 to play in the fourth. Green Bay would run 15 plays to burn the entire 8:51 to seal the 24-12 victory.

With the win the Green Bay improves to 6-8 and keeps its slim playoff hopes alive while Los Angeles falls to 4-10.

Up next for the Packers is a trip to Miami on Christmas Day to take on the Dolphins, while the Rams host the Broncos on Sunday.