Studs and duds from Rams’ 32-18 loss to Packers

As disappointing as Saturday’s loss was, the Los Angeles Rams have a lot to be proud of for the way they battled against the Green Bay Packers. Though there were plenty of mistakes made on the field, the Rams also got strong performances out of several key players, as well as their head coach.

The offense was the one that played better than anticipated, while the defense lagged behind with a poor performance against the league’s top-scoring offense. Individually, Jared Goff and Cam Akers shined for the Rams, as did Van Jefferson and Michael Brockers.

Here are our studs and duds from Saturday’s loss.

Stud: Michael Brockers

Brockers came to play against the Packers. He made eight tackles, four of which were solo stops, and really played well against the run. When Green Bay ran in his direction, he was often there for the stop, rarely getting blown off the line or swallowed up by blockers. In a game where Aaron Donald wasn’t close to 100%, Brockers stepped up.

Stud: Cam Akers

Akers has been a stud for at least the last month, putting together an encouraging close to the season. He rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries and scored one touchdown, also catching one pass for 6 yards. He’s become everything the Rams hoped he would at running back, showing vision, speed, power and quickness.

Stud: Jared Goff

Goff completed 21 of 27 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown, but most importantly, he didn’t commit a single turnover. There weren’t many plays that he left on the field, stepping up in the Rams’ biggest game of the season. With a bad thumb and the conditions difficult in Green Bay, Goff was effective and efficient throughout the afternoon. This loss can't be pinned on him in any way or fashion.

Stud: Van Jefferson

Jefferson was one of Goff’s favorite targets with Cooper Kupp out. He was targeted seven times and caught six of those passes for 46 yards with a touchdown. Like Akers, he showed why the future is bright for the young Rams receiver, even if he didn’t put up big numbers. It was really a strong performance by all of the receivers, with Josh Reynolds adding 65 yards on three catches (he had one drop) and Robert Woods catching eight of his 10 targets for 48 yards. There just weren’t many explosive plays to be had.

Stud: Sean McVay

McVay called a good game against the Packers, even after the Rams fell behind early. He didn’t abandon the run, he kept giving Akers carries and drew up some creative plays for the offense. The wildcat calls were questionable, but his design on the two-point hook and ladder was brilliant. McVay put his players in good spots, called quality plays to get receivers open for Goff and remained balanced offensively in difficult circumstances.

Duds: Troy Reeder and Kenny Young

Aside from a third-down pass deflection by Reeder on the Packers’ first drive, the Rams’ inside linebackers struggled. Yes, Reeder had 13 tackles, but 10 of those were assists where he wasn’t the first defender there. And Young just didn’t many many impactful plays, recording four tackles in the game. The Packers rushed for 188 yards and that wasn’t just because the defensive line failed to get much push up front. The linebackers didn’t fill holes properly, and that was glaringly obvious more than once – none clearer than Reeder’s miss on Aaron Jones’ touchdown run.

Dud: Troy Hill

Aaron Rodgers looked Hill’s way often and picked on him in coverage – and with the way Hill was playing, why wouldn’t he? Hill had a ton of issues against the Packers, getting beat by a double-move, dropping an easy interception that could’ve saved three points, missing tackles in the open field and just being out of position more than he should’ve been. It was a rough afternoon for the Rams cornerback and Rodgers took full advantage.

Dud: Bobby Evans

The Rams were without David Edwards and his absence sure was felt. Evans struggled against the likes of Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, giving up two sacks and allowing far too much pressure from his left guard spot. Evans wasn’t bad in the running game, but in pass protection, he was overmatched by the Packers’ defensive front.