GREEN BAY – In a matchup pitting the NFL's top defense against the league's most potent offense, the Packers dialed up a game plan befitting a January playoff game at Lambeau Field.
They met the Los Angeles Rams in the trenches, with the trio of Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon combining for 32 rushing attempts during Green Bay's 32-18 victory.
The Packers chipped away at the Rams' defensive front on four first-half scoring drives before Jones finally busted a 60-yard run on the first play of the third quarter. The six-play drive, on which all 75 yards were gained on the ground, produced a touchdown.
Their 191 combined rushing yards helped open things up for Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the offense during a pulverizing 484-yard performance against the Rams, who allowed just 281.9 yards per game during the regular season.
"I think that set the tone, letting 'em know that we were going to come out physical and what kind of football game it was going to be," Jones said. "And our coaches told us, 'Stick with it. Stick with it. One's going to pop.' And right after halftime it popped."
With Williams and Dillon both healthy, the Packers threw all three of their running backs at the Rams in the early going. On several occasions, Green Bay lined up Jones and Dillon in the backfield together with Rodgers in shotgun.
The Packers didn't have a carry of more than nine yards on any individual rush but Williams (seven for 34 yards), Jones (seven for 22) and Dillon (three for 17) continued to plow ahead against a front featuring injured All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who played only 39 of LA's 72 snaps due to a rib injury.
The ground production not only enabled the Packers to get into their play-action game, but it also allowed an offensive line playing without star left tackle David Bakhtiari to settle in.
And then, after taking a 19-10 lead into halftime, Green Bay finally got the home-run play it was looking for when the Rams adjusted to a five-man base front with just one middle linebacker lurking behind.
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January 17, 2021 at 10:52AM
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Packers put deep backfield to good use in win over Rams - Packers.com
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