Oct 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) scrambles against the St. Louis Rams during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. The Packers defeated the Rams 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE

Yesterday’s win at St. Louis was somewhat of a struggle for the Green Bay Packers as they didn’t play the flawless game they played at Houston the week before, but it certainly was good enough to record a win … and we all know what they say about the National Football League? A win is a win.

Not only was it the second straight win for the Packers, the first streak of that kind this year, but it also raised Green Bay’s record above the .500 mark for the first time.

Taking a look at the game, Nathan Kearns, the editor and lead writer for fansided.com’s Rams site, ramlinfan.com, asked some questions, which we were happy to answer.

To see the posting on ramblinfan, go here. But if you just want to stick around, see the post below.

Enjoy.

A. I think the injuries the Packers have experienced the past couple of weeks hasn’t really had a huge impact. Yes, Jackson and Richardson had some success at various times against the Packers, but most importantly, the Packers were able to contain the Rams running game and held the, for the most part to field goals and not touchdowns. I think that’s all the Packers coaches were hoping for. They felt that if the defense controlled the Rams offense that they could outscore them with their potent offense.

A. The Packers run game has been mediocre for years. Even with Cedric Benson, the Packers philosophy is to get just enough of a run game to keep the defense honest. I feel they did what they had to do to make sure that was the case once again today. You noticed that McCarthy called a decent mix of pass and run … he’s usually around 60-40. He would prefer 50-50, but that’s probably never going to happen as long as the Packers have a healthy Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are clearly a pass-first offense and if they can get 50-75 yards per game on the ground, that’s a successful day. Between Green, Cobb and Kuhn, the Packers ran for 70 yards today.

A. I’ve got to look at rookie cornerback Casey Hayward and offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga and Marshall Newhouse as the team MVPs in this one. Hayward picked off his fourth pass in three games, while both Bulaga and Newhouse neutralized the tough, speedy Rams’ defensive ends. Now, one might think that Randall Cobb could also be considered, but I think the efforts of the other guys were crucial in bringing about this win.

As for the Rams, you glottal look at that Givens kid. Like Cobb for the Packers, he’s a star in the making. He’s going to cause problems for a lot of defenses for a long time to come.

A. I think the conversion of third downs on those early drives in the third quarter were crucial in keeping the Rams offense off the field and led to being able to push the ball into the end zone. I also think the punting of Tim Masthay was crucial in turning the field position in the second half. Starting deep in their own zone didn’t help the Rams.

A. No question, Chris Givens is quickly placing his stamp on the game. He’s not a big guy, but can get open. When he catches the football, he can turn it on and make people miss. Like I said above, he is a player who is going to make many defenses look bad. Richardson is also an important cog in helping the Rams continue to improve. These two are very important additions that will also help Sam Bradford raise his level of play.

If you like what you just read, please follow us on Twitter at @RamblinFan and like us on Facebook Ramblin’ Fan to join in on the conversation we are having daily about the St. Louis Rams and the NFC West division. 

Oct 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) runs the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at Edward Jones Dome. The Packers defeated the Rams 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE

Nathan Kearns, editor and lead writer for Fansided.com’s St. Louis Rams site, reflected on the Packers versus Rams matchup and what’s ahead for the team he writes about.

He sat down with us to answer some post-game questions and to look ahead.

The problem earlier in the year was the lack of balance on the offensive side of the ball, which was perpetuated by the inconsistency on the offensive line. As of late, the Rams have been able to move the ball, but have not been able to convert on the short field. That is why Zuerlein has 17 field goals already this season.

Today seemed to be a mixture of problems. Brandon Gibson not being able to haul in the pass on fourth down in the first half, costly penalties and mistakes by the offensive line, and poor decision-making on the play calls (i.e. throwing the ball to receivers that aren’t past the first down marker).

Jackson and Richardson had a good day out of the backfield, combining for 20 rushes for 93 yards and the first rushing touchdown by a running back this season. Richardson also had 3 catches for 43 yards.

The one weak spot in our defense has always been the safeties in the secondary. Quintin Mikell is an aging Pro Bowler and Craig Dahl is more of a run support guy than a coverage safety. I would not say they were outmatched, but Janoris Jenkins did have a bad game when going head to head against Jordy Nelson. A majority of the big plays came on defensive offsides penalites, which took Chris Long out of the play. No pressure on Rodgers is always going to end badly for the opposing defense.

There a ton of holes that need to be filled, but the big ones right now are probably wide receiver, right tackle, outside linebacker, and safety. Depending on how our young receivers develop throughout the season, the wide receiver spot may become less of a priority. If Scott Wells comes back and is effective, Rub Tunrer will likely move back to left guard. An outside linebacker to anchor the second level of the defense with Jo-Lonn Dunbar and James Laurinaitis would push the Rams defense over the top. I have a strong feeling that Trumaine Johnson will get moved to safety at some point either this season or over the offseason.

Everyone has a shot at the NFC West right now. The Seahawks (4-3 overall, 0-3 in the division), 49ers (5-2 overall, 1-0 in the division), and Cardinals (4-3 overall, 1-1 in the division) are all within reach right now. There are still a ton of games left in the season, so anything can happen. The Rams have a much easier schedule in the second half of the season, with should-win games against the Arizona Cardinals (already beat them once), New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Bucs, and winnable games against the Seattle Seahawks (already beat them once), San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings.

I think a solid goal for the season would be to end the season with a record about .500, and get some consistency on the offensive side of the ball. We are a young team that just needs some experience and to build momentum heading into the future.

October 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) waves to fans as he runs off the field after a game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Green Bay defeated St. Louis 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

The Green Bay Packers went into St. Louis today and beat the Rams 30-20.  The score is misleading because the Packers allowed a Rams garbage-time TD with 14 seconds left.

The Packers outplayed the Rams in nearly every facet of this game, and if they had not I would have been surprised.  This was a game the Packers were expected to win, as opposed to last Sunday’s win over the Texans, which qualified as a pleasantly-surprising outcome for most.

With a record of 4-3, the Packers should now be able to begin distancing themselves from the rest of the NFC North. With 5 of their 9 remaining games against division opponents, the Packers own their own destiny. If they continue to play the way they have played against Houston and St. Louis, they’ll be in good shape.

Some thumps and chest bumps from the Rams game:

Thump – DL Mike Neal went down with a knee injury. The Packers’ philosophy of next man up will be more and more challenged if this trend continues. The seriousness of the injury won’t really be known for a couple of days. Let’s hope for low time to no time lost for Neal.

October 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) catchs a 39 yard touchdown pass during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Green Bay defeated St. Louis 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Chest Bump – WRs Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones all made big contributions. Cobb is a game-changer - now second in the league in yards from scrimmage and a threat to go 6 anytime he touches the ball. Nelson is steady, reliable, and makes some of the toughest catches imaginable look routine. Jones has come into his own as a big play receiver, and he’s not dropping balls this year. There were even a couple of Jermichael Finley sightings today.

Thump – The offensive line continued to struggle against better defensive lines. This is a trend that nobody wants to see continued. Rodgers is not, contrary to what some might believe, superhuman. He’s got to have better protection when he’s in the pocket. Rodgers can help himself by not holding the ball as long as he did a couple of times today, but it would be better for everybody if the O-line elevated their pass-pro game while Rodgers figures out a little faster to whom he’s going to deal the rock.

Chest Bump -  The Packers defense is getting back in their turnover mode. CB Casey Hayward shares the league lead in interceptions. Sound good? It sure does to the Packers and their fans. The Packers defense is coming into a couple of games against teams with less-than-stellar offenses. They should  be able to continue to look good while working the remaining bugs out so that by the time they go up against a top offense again they’ll be ready to rock.

October 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Dezman Moses (54) tackles St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. Green Bay defeated St. Louis 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Thump – Penalties again seemed to allow the opponent to stick around. The one that really sticks out from this game is the one against LB Dezman Moses when he was flagged for unnecessary roughness for his hit on Steven Jackson in the third quarter. The league hates to see players “launch themselves” at anybody, especially when the hit looks like this one did. In my opinion, had Moses launched a little bit but hit Jackson with his pads instead of his helmet/head, this might not have been called. Either way this is a preventable mistake, and allowing the opponent to stick around is not what you want.

Chest Bump – Once again Head Coach Mike McCarthy kept opponents guessing on special teams. Even though the Packers only got three points out of it, the onside kick after the first touchdown was a gutsy call and even though I cringed when I saw it, I still loved it. Sooner or later one of these gambles might come up snake eyes, but so far the attitude and the execution on these plays have been great. When was the last time, in one season, this team successfully executed as many fakes and onsides kicks? I don’t know for certain but it feels like a first to me. Cringing is an automatic reflex anyway – if you’re not cringing when an onside kick goes off you’re not paying attention.

Chest Bump – The Packers fans showed up strong and took over another road venue. St. Louis is a more-or-less manageable drive from Green Bay, but let’s not discount the local populace either. There are Packers fans everywhere -even in St. Louis. That said, the Edward Jones Dome looked like Lambeau with a hat on. A truly revolting thought that  is, but there were Packers jerseys everywhere and there has been plenty of discussion post-game about how the Packers fans were louder than the Rams fans that were actually in attendance.

Oct 21, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to pass the ball against the St. Louis Rams during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. The Packers defeated the Rams 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE

So at 4-3* (it’s getting tougher and tougher to swallow that Seattle call now, isn’t it?) the Packers go home to face the hard-luck Jacksonville Jaguars. This will be another game the Packers will be expected to win. And another opportunity for the Packers to put a W on the board. That’s stacking success.

More on the Jacksonville game later this week on Lombardiave.com.

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Go Pack GO!

October 14, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

Coming off of last week’s solid performance, It could be easy for the Pack to relax, if it weren’t for weeks 1, 3 and 5. The focus was there on both sides of the ball from the first snap and lasted until the game was well in hand. That’s the Packers everyone expected to see this season. They showed signs of it in earlier games, particularly the Bears game, but never put that complete game together until last Sunday night. Will that focus and intensity carry through to this week’s game at the Rams?

GB Offense vs Rams D:

The Packers have given up the most sacks (23) in the NFL thus far, including 8 in the first half at SEA alone. That’s the bad news. The good news is that since that debacle in SEA (Ugh! I was there!) The Packers O-line has been very good in protection.

Since that 1st half against the seadawgs, the Packers have only allowed 7 sacks in 14 quarters (5 in the second half vs Indy). What they face this week is a defense who knows their offense will, most likely, not give them any room for error. The Rams Defense, like the rest of the Ds in the NFC West, is no slouch. They are tied for 5th in the league in sacks with 18 through 6 games. That makes them dangerous against the Packers pass first approach, especially considering that 9 of those sacks came on 1st and 2nd down.

I’d expect to see Rodgers under some pressure early in the game, probably from the 2 DEs Chris Long and Robert Quinn.  If the line can slow down the pass rush enough to give Rodgers time to get the ball out or use his mobility to create space, I think the Packers Offense will have a big day. If the opposite occurs and the Packers offense get’s itself in 2nd or 3rd and long situations, it will be a recipe for disaster ala Seattle.

I’d hope the game plan includes some quick passes to take some pressure off of Newhouse and Bulaga from the outset, an early screen pass might be nice. The secondary can be beat, especially if Rodgers gets some time.

GB Defense vs Rams O:

The Packers lead the league in sacks thanks, in a major part, to the Clay Matthews effect. The way Dom Capers has elected to move him around to create matchup problems is working well. Jeff Fisher has probably worked all week on addressing the matchup challenges he poses, but the Rams have some of the same protection problems as the Packers, giving up 18 sacks though 6 weeks.

I expect the Claymaker to draw the attention and while the Rams might hold him without a sack, it will likely be a net loser for the Rams offense as Worthy, Neal, and Pickett pick up the slack. If the pass rush can’t get to Sam Bradford multiple times today I’d be surprised.

The Rams rushing offense has been even more anemic than the Packers. They have just 1 rushing TD on the year, by Sam Bradford. Steven Jackson has been pedestrian and I don’t expect the Rams rushing game to suddenly come to life. I’d expect the Packers to ensure that is the case and make Sam Bradford beat them with his arm.

Bottom Line: The Packers are the better team in talent, coaching, and experience. The question is : Was last week the awakening of the sleeping giant or a moment of clarity for an inebriated drunk stumbling home? I’m betting on the former. PACKERS 31 – Rams 17