How will the Packers’ defense respond?

How will a tired, hurting defense guard against a savvy Rams offense?

I think how GB’s defense responds after what happened last week will be fascinating to watch, because the Rams offense is coming off two sub-par showings and then their bye week. McVay is going to have some really aggressive stuff dialed up, I suspect, and the Packers might have to weather an early storm and get the game to settle down.

The Packers ran 33 pass attempts vs 16 rushing attempts. With AJ Dillon running for 4.8 yards per carry, what did you see out on the field that encouraged this pass-run patio?

The Vikings have their inside linebackers (Kendricks, Barr) and safety (Smith) up at the line of scrimmage an awful lot. They aren’t always blitzing, but they’re often looking like they will. That’s tough to run against. Handing the ball off against a stacked front is no way to live.

How soon will Aaron Jones be back? When are you getting shades like his?

LaFleur didn’t rule Jones out for this week, so we’ll see if he’s back at practice at any point. My gut says he’ll be back after the bye, but who knows. I don’t think I’d rep those shades quite as nicely as he does.

With the game Justin Jefferson had on Sunday, how can we plan to minimize Cooper Kupps impact on the game?

Tackle him. The Rams throw him a lot of short passes and look for him to get yards after the catch. The defense has to stay in position and make tackles. He’s going to get the ball, but the Packers just have to keep the gains to a minimum.

Much said about the slow starts. I wonder if the Rams pass rush will prompt ML and Rodgers to game plan a more patient approach right out of the gate spreading it around short with short passes early. Earn the deep shot by making the DB’s come up..

I’m sure they’d love to do that, but the Rams have a heck of a defensive front that doesn’t always need extra help to stop the run. If the Packers have success running it, then the Rams will adjust, and the chess match is on.

Any chance you and Wes get a lighter work load tomorrow, or is it get up early to try and finish early?

Hopefully we can both bug out of here after the post-practice player interviews.

Going to my first game at Lambeau on Sunday. Let me make sure I have all the rules down. Loud on defense, quiet on offense and Big Dawg call whenever Lewis touches the ball. Did I miss anything?

That pretty much covers it. And don’t do the wave when the offense is out there.

I find traveling east harder on the body clock. Do the Rams plan to fly to Green Bay on Saturday, or with a late game Sunday will they wait until then?

No idea how they manage their travel schedule. Different West Coast teams do things differently.

Given what looked like a brutal schedule, at least on paper, if the Packers win Sunday they will be 9-3 heading into the bye. I would definitely have signed up for that.

Absolutely, and with Rodgers missing one game to boot, plus all the other injuries. Anyone would take 9-3, a week of rest, and then gear up for the stretch run. It just feels like there will be such a difference between 9-3 and 8-4 after the 7-1 start.

What is our offensive line depth at center and guard if there’s an injury there?

Ben Braden can play guard, Jake Hanson is a center, Cole Van Lanen is on the practice squad.

Who is one young player on the rise who can make a difference late in the season, especially with injuries mounting?

On offense, I’d say Josiah Deguara. That TD he had in Minnesota was great to see. On defense, I’ll say Eric Stokes and T.J. Slaton. Those guys have had their ups and downs but the defense is going to need them to keep improving.

besides Kupp and OBJ — what other threats do the Rams pose offensively? I don’t know much about their RBs/TEs.

Henderson is their RB because they lost Cam Akers early on. Higbee has been a productive TE for them (38-344-3).

Do you get annoyed when fans jump on a certain bandwagon for a particular player or offense/defense just because of a few game performances? Things even out over time.

It’s all part of it. When someone does well, you want to see it continue. Consistency is ultimately the name of this game. Guys have to be reliable.