The winner of Saturday’s playoff game between the Green Bay Packers (13-3) and Los Angeles Rams (10-6) will go on to face either the New Orleans Saints or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday.
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the NFC Divisional Round matchup with the Rams will go down:
Zach Kruse (11-5): Packers 27, Rams 20
The Packers have too many built-in advantages entering this game. The gap at quarterback is massive. There will be fans at Lambeau Field, and by the time the sun sets in Green Bay, it’ll be cold. A few of the Rams’ key players are dealing with injuries. And I’m just not confident in the Rams being able to score enough points – without a big assist from the Packers – to win the game. If the Packers avoid big mistakes and play their game, they advance to the NFC title game. I think the Rams probably need a big game from Cam Akers, at least two takeaways from the defense and possibly a major special teams error to win. Each can happen, but I don’t think the chances of everything going right for the Rams are high. The guess here is that the Packers start fast, survive a few big swings from the Rams mid-game, and then get a takeaway late to seal the deal.
Jack Wepfer (12-4): Packers 27, Rams 20
The numbers suggest this will be a good one. No. 1 offense versus the No. 1 defense. Davante Adam’s versus Jalen Ramsey. Aaron a Donald versus, well, probably a series of double teams and running back chip blocks. I do think these match ups will make for some good football and limited margin of error, but the Packers win out because I just don’t see the Rams being able to score enough points. The Packers are deadly in the red zone, and Jared Goff will struggle to match the Packers’ output. Give me the Packers to advance to the NFC Championship.
Marty Kauffman (13-3): Packers 28, Rams 14
The storylines have been discussed all week. The Packers offense against the Rams defense. Matt LaFleur against Sean McVay. How do the Packers succeed on offense against Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey? This Packers team comes in well rested, confident and are the top team in the NFC at the moment. If the Packers jump out to an early lead and maintain it, forcing Jared Goff on a bad thumb to throw more, Green Bay has the advantage to take control of the game. This team has a championship feel and should prevail over the Rams by double digits.
Anthony Nash (13-3): Packers 27, Rams 20
Despite the vast differences between the offenses of the Packers and Rams, this game could end up being closer than many may suggest. Although the Rams offense struggles at times, its defense rarely seems to, and they do a great job of guarding the deep ball. Despite this, the Packers might have just enough on both sides of the ball to score enough and limit the Rams from running the ball too much to come away from this game with a win.
Nolan Stracke (14-2): Packers 31, Rams 23
All eyes are focused on Aaron Donald and the Rams’ defense, but what about the Packers’ defense? They’re ranked 13th in points allowed and 9th in yards allowed. Pettine’s group has taken a big step since earlier in the season. I think the Rams offense, which does not have the firepower it used to, will have more trouble than Aaron Rodgers & Co. against the Rams’ defense. The Packers have had plenty of time to come up with a plan to stop, or at least slow down, Aaron Donald and LA’s front. Rodgers wants an NFC Championship at Lambeau and he is going to make sure that happens on Saturday.
Joe Kipp (14-2): Packers 27, Rams 17
It’s hard to see the Rams having much success on offense when Jared Goff is expected to suit up with a broken thumb in sub-freezing temperatures. The path to victory for Los Angeles lies through Cam Akers and the running game. The Rams will likely need a turnover, as well, from the Packers offense. Unfortunately for LA, Green Bay’s offense has the fewest turnovers (11) of any team in the NFL this season. On defense, the Packers have to put pressure on Goff early and often. The Rams’ signal caller threw seven interceptions (second-most in NFL) when under pressure this season, per PFF.
Brandon Carwile (9-3): Packers 27, Rams 17
You want to talk about the LA defense? Let’s talk about their offense for once. Passing the ball is not easy for the Rams with Jared Goff dealing with a thumb injury. They emphasize running the ball and last year that would have been a major problem for Green Bay. This year’s defense looks way better than it did a year ago. There’s a lot of confidence there. Offensively, the Packers are going to be able to do just enough to score more points. Rodgers throws for two touchdowns and Green Bay runs for over 140 yards in a win.
| Writer | Prediction | Score | Record |
| Zach Kruse | Win | 27-20 | 11-5 |
| Jack Wepfer | Win | 27-20 | 12-4 |
| Marty Kauffman | Win | 28-14 | 13-3 |
| Anthony Nash | Win | 27-20 | 13-3 |
| Nolan Stracke | Win | 31-23 | 14-2 |
| Joe Kipp | Win | 27-17 | 14-2 |
| Brandon Carwile | Win | 27-17 | 9-3 |
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January 16, 2021 at 08:52AM
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Packers Wire staff predictions: NFC Divisional Round vs. Rams - Packers Wire
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