The only one I'll argue with is Love... you don't get a lot of credit in my book due to the fact that your sucky play/decisions didn't continue for the whole game. Yes, I'm glad the last part of his game was considerably better, but overall his complete game was pretty middling, not game ball stuff.

Very important win, finally got an NFC victory. Overcame some bad Love decisions and passes, and a spotty defensive performance.
They absolutely have to get some push from the center of the d line and get Smith and Gary to get pressure. Even when it was obvious the Rams were going to have to pass there was no pressure and they were also very susceptible to the screens. Our linebackers and d line are weak points. You have to be lucky to win with millstones like that. It was a game where you could say the short handed Rams lost, more than the Packers won. But it’s still an important W.

Dialing up blitzes?… were we watching the same game?…I’d love to see the statistics on that event!…

"Sometimes, you gotta win ugly, and get a bit lucky doing so. The Packers escaped the City of Angels with an important 24-19 win over the Rams, and there should always be a little time reserved to savor a victory. But this team and its coaching staff have to know that the to-do list remains long for a club with aspirations for a deep playoff run."

Winning a game when they are without 2 of their top 3 WR's. Without their speedy TE (which they have yet to figure out a good role for). Love is still knocking off the rust. But the more he plays the better he is getting. Just need to clean up the mistakes (dropped passes).

GAME BALLS

Xavier McKinney —
I mean what more can you say. This has been the best FA signing since Woodson.

Tucker Kraft —
Kraft has been outstanding. When the offense gets going full gear Kraft is going to be a huge piece because defenses are going to focus on shutting Reed and Watson down. And they will be focused on trying to stop Jacobs. Kraft is going to make teams pay.

Jordan Love — "It wasn’t one of his stellar games overall, and his almost-safety that became a pick-six was cringe-worthy, but the way he shook it off earns him game balls."
While this may sound bad, but the pick 6 may have been the best thing that could have happened there. Hear me out. IF, they take a safety there, that is 2 points. And they give the ball to the Rams. Which if they go down and score right before half they potentially add 7 more points. And then they got the ball after half which if they go down and score again that could have been 16 points from the time they took the safety until they got the ball back again. That is a huge change in the game. Instead they give up the 6 points (failed extra point), and the Packers go down and get a FG. In other words a 3 point differential, which could have been a 16 point differential.

Love looked much better overall.

UNSUNG HERO

Evan Williams/Edgerrin Cooper —
Williams was good. But Cooper is becoming a force on blitzes. His speed is insane and if it wasn't for Cooper blitzing on that final play and getting in Staffords face, they likely complete that 4th down play. But he threw it early and Williams was able to help knock that play down.

Brayden Narveson —
He made all 4 of his kicks. And not only did he make them he kicked them with authority. There was not wobble to his kicks.. They were all straight and looked more like they did in week 1. I think this was a good confidence builder for him!

LAME CALLS

Dropped passes —
I think Wicks had 2 drops? Both were huge plays. The one was a play that would have been a first down and the final one could have ended the game.
Reed also dropped a really easy first down. Those kill drives and make the offense look worse then it really is.

Doubs —
While I don't know exactly how he feels or what exactly is going on, not showing up to practice is inexcusable. Talk about hurting your team. They are already without 1 WR. And to pull this shit now is just not good. This just makes no sense to me because in 2 of the 4 games they had a back up QB. And the one week the QB is coming back from injury.

FINAL WHISTLES
Getting Watson back will make the offense reach its full potential. But there are a few pieces that when they add them I think will be a huge bonus for this team. I think they are going to find a way to utilize Musgrave more. His speed to stretch the middle of the field I think will be added to the offense. When Lloyd comes back I think he is going to add an explosive option out of the backfield.

On defense they need to swap Cooper and McDuffie. McDuffie is just too slow to be an every down player. And Cooper is too good to not be on the field more. Also I wouldn't mind seeing Hopper potentially starting to get some of the reps that Wilson gets. I would like to see them find a way to play Williams and Bullard together more. Maybe take away a LB on some plays, or use Bullard in the slot more. Also I think its time to start using Mosby and/or Cox as a pass rusher. Neither Gary nor Smith are doing much. They need to find juice from somewhere. They kept those guys for a reason, its time to start using them.

Cleanup time - Time to clean up the penalties. Way to many again this week. Especially presnap penalties. I think there were 2 false starts by WR's. Can't happen ever!

Yes, this was a dinged up Rams team, but so were the Packers. The Rams top two receivers were out, but the Packers were without Watson, Doubs and Musgrave. The Rams O-line was makeshift, but so was the Packer secondary with Alexander out and Nixon playing outside. Both teams had injuries so it wasn't obvious to me that the Packers had an advantage.

Not sure I would have given Love a game ball after that horrible pick six. I thought Evan Willaims was more deserving of a game ball.

Quay Walker has all the physical tools. What he lacks is the inability to grasp more complex NFL systems. Either find something basic he can do, like rush the QB in likely passing situations, or be ready to let him leave town when his contract is up.
Narveson was missing FG's, true. But it seemed he was consistently pulling the ball to one side. That is fixable. But this goes to a larger problem. Why didn't Bisaccia address this earlier? He is the highest paid ST's coach in the league. And does anyone remember how some writers on this site wrote he was going to come up with creative ways to take advantage of the new kickoff rules? Which brings up the next point. Why is Keisean Nixon still on the team? He is a non-factor on kickoffs (see above), and is a liability in the defensive backfield. Notice that on Sunday Stafford was regularly throwing to receivers at Nixon.
Finally, why has there been no mention of the total lack of containment on the outside of the defense when runs were regularly bounced outside? Once again, mediocre RB's were making big pickups to the outside. Once they tried going up the middle, things changed drastically.

"Wicks has clearly lost his confidence"

NO.

You're SPECULATING about what the problem might be. Maybe you're right, maybe it's something else? What's clear is that he's not doing what a WR is paid to do, which is CTFB.

I'm not sure what the solution is here. It seems to me that the strategy of getting all your playmakers involved early should also result in playing the hot hand, and not targeting someone having an off week.

Hopefully this gets FIXED, and this week.

The Defense: The data strongly suggests that the Packers defense is a 'below-the-median' defense in quite a few measures, but that the takeaways are helping to balance the scales. On the other hand, after the first TD, the defense did hold the Rams to squat until we went 'prevent' with a comfortable lead. Yes, the Rams had some injured guys,so did we, and you have to play the team that's on the field.

There's been some criticism of guys like Gary and Clark and VanNess. These guys are part of an 8 man wave of fresh bodies we keep throwing at teams, and as the game wears on, and as the season wears on, it's going to become a bigger and bigger advantage. They're going to show up.

Despite the change in defensive philosophy...which seems to be working....and the new DC and an infusion of talent, I don't see much in the way of improvement over last year's bunch, and if we hadn't acquired McKinney, we'd probably be worse. I hope that I'm wrong, and our defense goes on a tear, but right now, it just doesn't really seem any better.

The Offense just can't stop hitting itself. This is the thing that surprises me the most, because we're leaving points on the field and we're still one of the top scoring offenses. The line, which was a concern in the offseason, is getting guys blocked. Reed and Jacobs/Wilson are moving the ball. But the penalties, and the drops, and the turnovers, are stealing oxygen from this offense. IF/WHEN the Packers get that under control, they'll be legit. Right now in the NFC, the Commies and Vikings are the leading offenses, with the Packers a ways behind in 3rd.

Special Teams: I don't like to see that fullback come out and kick FGs. At the very least, they should give him Jerry Kramer's #64. He made all his kicks, and we should have gone for 2 after the TDs. The Packers showed good sense by refusing to try to turn it over on a kick or punt return.

The AZ game next week looks a little less winnable than before they beat the 49ers, but still winnable. Quite a few teams in the league are 3-2 right now, but we have a stretch of "easier" games that could see us run it to 6-2 by the end of October. We're going to have to tighten it up on offense.

--

Another lame call - Eric Stokes' cleats. Seemed like he was on the ground a lot and not because he was getting pasted, just falling down.

Lame calls?
Am I the only one that thinks MLF's (McCarthy-istic) calling of three runs and a (28 yard) punt with almost 4 minutes left fits that category? Love was snapping the ball with 10-12 seconds left on the play clock.
I called it before it happened, and it might appear that the Rams did too!
Isn't that what's called 'Playing not to lose".

See how a made Field Goal alters the complete outlook of the game - Rams driving for a TD at the end vs a Field Goal - huge difference, especially with an offense that can't put away a game when it has a significant lead.

I keep waiting to hear what the plan is for the weak pass rush. The Fanbase upset with Barry may have camoflaged or distracted from the ongoing poor showing of the front 4. I think Gary has a contract through 2027-I didn't look into the others.
What is the recourse? Discipline? Coaching? Are Gary, Smith et al just not capable against today's strong O-lines? Can they be re-trained to be more effective? This cannot continue when this Division is dealing with the Vikes and Lions.

All that counts in surprise Powerhouse N is a W.

Love has been criticized and rightly so getting fitted into his groove.

What will help is getting the band back together. The Fab Four led by Reed needs bandmates Doubs (shelving his ego), Watson (snakebit injuries a forgettable memory), and Wicks (lots of stick em on hands) to join him cranking out the hits. Thor (aka Tucker Kraft) is producing hammering hits of his own blocking, & catching, running, straight arming for TDs.

The run game is getting stronger. Jacobs is a beast and Wilson roars too. Rhyan is helping the infantry and is mostly a solid RG overall. OL is coming together.

Defense bending badly but not breaking much. Turnovers are the great equalizer and they are harvesting a bumper crop so far.

The front seven is underperforming. Cooper needs to start at Mike and Walker needs a simplier life on the field. He is still playing Barry Ball LB...standing at the snap, reacting a step slow and taking poor routes to the ball. His athletic skills are not in doubt...his football IQ is. I'd like to see some snaps by Hopper replacing the steady and ready McDuffie, who doesn't make many plays.

Does Brooks need to start? He seems to get better with increasing snaps during the game. I don't think musical chairs at DT fits his game. He is one of those grind down the opponent guys.

What is wrong with Gary? He plays like a back up, rotational player. Enagbare is outplaying him...especially in hustle to the whistle football.

Hafley is still evaluating who his best fits are in general and specifically for the upcoming opponent. But this is a Safety led Defense right now. Who would have thought? Why NY made the 24 year old McKinney an X Giant amazing. Bullard, and now Williams are playing incredible ball as rookies. I would think a 3 Safety Nickel is the way to go.

I raved about the McKinney and Jacobs additions and wanted u to draft Kraft; glad we did.
Jacobs finally received a screen pass—and bam: big yardage.
Love’s game demeanor is impressive—he always appears unshaken/calm. I severely criticized him in his first game against the Chiefs and I’m eating humble pie.
This was a sloppy performance, but like last season, our best days are ahead, especially if the pass rush is improved.
Go Packers!!!

Another thing. I read something a couple of weeks ago about one of the coaches telling Tucker Kraft he reminded them of Mark Bavaro. Kraft didn't know who he was (because...youth), but he really dug into MB's old highlights. And I'll be darned if Kraft doesn't look a lot like a more athletic version of Bavaro a lot of times out there on the field. His TD last week against the Vikings and the long TD this week were both very Bavaro-esque, if you ask me. Love seeing it.

They won. They faced an undermanned Rams team and won. They needed to add blizes to make up for the fact the 4 man front is dong nada. They needed to blitz knowing the pass d is doing nada. Now heres the issues going forward since I assume they play next week?
1. Love's decision making aint great. His throwing deep to a guy covered by three defensemen is mind blowing. Had to be someone open out there? This will costs him big time going forward.
2. The pass rush works when we send 7 against an O line that sitting on the bench replaced by second and third stringers.
3. Kicking game finally worked for one game.
Looking ahead its a crap shoot. For sure this aint a SB contender, maybe not a playoff team either??? Who knows.

We are on our way!

Gary was double teamed on nearly ever passing play. Tough to have an impact in that situation. Hafley needs to scheme him open. Move him around. They know he’s coming from the weak side. Every single time! Seems some creativity in freeing up the d-line would help.

When is Lloyd eligible to come back.

In the Packers vs. Rams game, the Packers secured a narrow 24-19 victory, showcasing strong performances that earned game balls. However, some questionable calls had fans debating the officiating. Just like in the popular Monkey Mart game, where players navigate challenges to earn rewards, the Packers faced their own hurdles but ultimately emerged victorious.