Pack hit bye week on high note
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t letting his toe injury lower his expectations, even though it is limiting his practice time.
Rodgers threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the Packers’ 36-28 victory Sunday against the Rams. Not bad for someone who hadn’t practiced all week.
‘‘When I step on the field, I expect greatness,’’ said Rodgers, who indicated he fractured his pinkie toe while working out during his quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test. ‘‘Anyone who’s a great competitor feels the same way. I don’t lean on excuses — not practicing, a toe injury.’’
Rodgers went 28-for-45 for 307 yards as the Packers bounced back from a loss to the Vikings. The reigning NFL most valuable player threw touchdown passes of seven yards to receiver Randall Cobb and five yards to running back A.J. Dillon.
Rodgers’ injury limited him to one practice in the week leading up to his 385-yard, four-touchdown effort against the Vikings.
‘‘It definitely isn’t the ideal situation not to practice,’’ he said. ‘‘But if I can go out there, take mental reps, go through the plan and my preparation and feel good about what I’m doing, then when I get out there I’ve just got to rely on my instincts. The beauty is, it’s an 11-person-a-side game, and I really feel the offensive line allowed me just to settle in.’’
The Rams outscored the Packers 11-0 in the fourth quarter, but their comeback try ended when former Bears safety Adrian Amos recovered an onside kick with 17 seconds left.
The Packers (9-3) haven’t lost consecutive games in the same season during Matt LaFleur’s three-year coaching tenure. They head into their bye week with a 3½-game lead over the Vikings (5-6) in the NFC North.
‘‘We’ve just got to keep stacking wins and ride this momentum,’’ Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark said.
The Rams (7-4) dropped their third consecutive game and continually made mistakes to create opportunities for the Packers, who scored 16 points off three turnovers.
‘‘Pretty self-explanatory, kind of a lot of the same narratives,’’ Rams coach Sean McVay said. ‘‘We turn the ball over too many times. You can’t get behind against a good football team like that. I do love the way that our guys continue to battle.’’
Matthew Stafford went 21-for-38 for 302 yards with three touchdown passes, but he also lost a fumble to set up one Packers touchdown and had an interception returned for another. Stafford has thrown a pick-six in each of the Rams’ last three games.
Odell Beckham Jr. had five catches for 81 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown, in his second game with the Rams.
Rodgers opened the scoring with a oneyard touchdown run to cap a drive that began at the Rams’ 6-yard line. The Packers’ Rashan Gary, who returned from an elbow injury that had sidelined him against the Vikings, sacked Stafford and hit his elbow to cause a fumble that fellow outside linebacker Preston Smith recovered to give the Packers first-and-goal.
In the third quarter, the Rams’ J.J. Koski was returning a punt when the Packers’ Dominique Dafney forced a fumble that teammate Krys Barnes recovered at the Rams’ 27. That set up a 29-yard field goal by Mason Crosby that extended the Packers’ lead to 30-17.
‘‘We’re going to continue to learn from these things; that’s the only thing that you can do,’’ McVay said. ‘‘But we’ve got to stop with some of these self-inflicted wounds.’’
Later in the third, cornerback Rasul Douglas made it 36-17 by stepping in front of a pass by Stafford intended for receiver Cooper Kupp and scoring his first career touchdown on a 33-yard interception return.
‘‘Cooper Kupp, don’t he got, like, 10,000 yards receiving already in, like, eight weeks?’’ Douglas quipped after the game. ‘‘We know that’s his guy. We know a lot of balls get thrown to him and he makes a lot of plays.’’
This time, Douglas and the rest of the Packers’ defense made all the biggest plays.