Rams lose third straight, fall to Packers 20-3
Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers tries to escape a tackle by Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter of a game at Lambeau Field on November 05, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Aaron Jones scored Green Bay’s first first-half touchdown since mid-September, and the Packers snapped a four-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Rams 20-3 on Sunday.
Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from Jordan Love and Anders Carlson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts for the Packers (3-5). Love went 20 of 26 for 228 yards despite getting sacked four times.
The Rams (3-6) dropped their third straight as they played without quarterback Matthew Stafford, who sprained a ligament in his right thumb last week in a loss at Dallas.
With Brett Rypien starting in Stafford’s place, the Rams failed to reach the end zone. Rypien went 13 of 28 for 130 yards with an interception, and the Rams lost one of his two fumbles.
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Rypien was facing an injury-riddled Green Bay secondary that started two rookie seventh-round picks in cornerback Carrington Valentine and safety Anthony Johnson Jr.
Johnson, who had played just eight defensive snaps all season before Sunday, had an interception to set up a fourth-quarter field goal.
The Packers had been outscored 73-9 in the first half of their past five games, but they led this one 7-3 at the break and stayed ahead the rest of the way. The Rams’ only points came on Lucas Havrisik’s 52-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
Green Bay capitalized on one of Rypien’s turnovers to reach the end zone before halftime, something they hadn’t accomplished since the second quarter of a Sept. 17 loss in Atlanta. Rypien initially mishandled a snap and then tried to roll to his right. Jonathan Owens sacked him and forced a fumble that De’Vondre Campbell recovered at the Rams 41-yard line.
Jones capped Green Bay’s ensuing drive with a 3-yard touchdown run in the opening minute of the second quarter. Jones ran for 73 yards to lead the Packers’ 184-yard rushing attack.
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The Packers fumbled the ball away on each of their first two second-half series, but the Rams failed to capitalize either time.
After Ahkello Witherspoon recovered Dontayvion Wicks’ fumble at the Rams 42, Los Angeles punted rather than attempting a long field goal on fourth-and-17 from the 36.
Jordan Fuller knocked the ball from Aaron Jones on the Packers’ next series, and Duke Shelley’s 9-yard fumble return gave the Rams the ball on the Green Bay 36. The Rams’ ensuing possession ended with Havrisik’s 49-yard field-goal attempt sailing wide right.
Carlson, who missed a 52-yard field goal to end the first half, extended Green Bay’s lead by kicking a 26-yarder late in the third quarter and a 34-yarder with 9:08 left in the game. Musgrave capped the scoring by catching a pass across the middle at around the 15 and running into the end zone with 3:41 remaining.
The Packers head to Pittsburgh next Sunday for a meeting with the Steelers. The Rams have off next week before hosting the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 19.