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Two of the NFL's most innovative offensive minds and strong-armed quarterbacks will clash in Southern California when the 2-2 Green Bay Packers take on the 1-3 Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay head coach and offensive play-caller Matt LaFleur and Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay both share roots in the Shanahan coaching tree, having worked as assistants under Mike Shanahan on his Washington staff from 2010-2013. LaFleur also served as McVay's offensive coordinator during McVay’s inaugural season as the Rams head coach in 2017.
Game Details
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 6
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Packers -3, O/U 48.5 (SportsLine consensus)
Offensive Schemes
Both coaches excel at leveraging their schemes to benefit their starting quarterbacks, Jordan Love for the Packers and Matthew Stafford for the Rams. McVay's Rams (77.8%) and LaFleur's Packers (76.4%) lead the NFL in pre-snap motion usage. This strategy significantly increases stress on opposing defenses.
"The more speed that happens pre-snap on the offensive side of the ball, the more stress it puts on a defense. It makes playing the run game really hard because you can't get downhill. All your movement as a linebacker is lateral." noted retired five-time All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly on the "Move The Sticks" podcast. "
Spread
- Packers -3 (-115)
- Rams +3 (-105)
Moneyline
- Packers: -168
- Rams: +140
Total
- 48.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Key Players
Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed stands out this season, leading the NFL in both yards per target (15.3) and yards per carry (15.2, minimum five carries). LaFleur has utilized Reed's speed effectively, sending him in motion an NFL-high 62 times, leading to nine touches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Notably, Love has achieved a perfect passer rating (158.3) when targeting Reed in 2024, completing 11 of 14 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
With Love missing two games this season, LaFleur adapted by shifting the Packers to a run-heavy offense, averaging 174.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in the NFL. In contrast, the Rams have bolstered their defense this offseason by drafting edge rusher Jared Verse and interior lineman Braden Fiske to replace three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. Verse has made an immediate impact with a 23.3% quarterback pressure rate, second-best in the league.
Defensive Challenges
While the Rams rank fifth in quarterback pressure rate (39%), they struggle to convert that pressure into sacks, sitting tied for 26th in the league with only seven sacks. Their defensive metrics show they are also tied for 29th in average time to pressure (2.7 seconds) and 30th in average time to throw allowed (3.1 seconds). Furthermore, they are second-worst in both scoring defense (28.8 points per game allowed) and total defense (385.3 total yards per game allowed).
In contrast, the Packers' defense under new coordinator Jeff Hafley has been creating consistent disruption. They lead the league with 12 takeaways and are tied for eighth in sacks (13). Safety Xavier McKinney, a free-agent addition, leads the NFL with four interceptions, one in each game. If he picks off Stafford on Sunday, he will make history as the first player since the AFL/NFL merger to record an interception in each of his first five games with a new team.
Injury Report
The Rams are dealing with numerous injuries, which could hinder their performance against Green Bay.
- WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) - No IR
- WR Puka Nacua (knee) - IR
- TE Tyler Higbee (knee) - PUP
- *OT Joe Noteboom (ankle) - IR
- OT KT Leveston (ankle) - IR
- OT Conor McDermott (undisclosed) - IR
- OG Steve Avila (knee) - IR
- OG Jonah Jackson (shoulder) - IR
- DL Larrell Murchison (arm) - IR
- CB Darious Williams (hamstring) - IR
- CB Derion Kendrick (knee) - IR
- S John Johnson III (shoulder) - IR
