Packers stay perfect at 6-0, beat Rams, 24-3
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) and teammate Donald Driver celebrate Driver's touchdown against the St. Louis Rams during the second half. (Oct. 16, 2011) Credit: AP
Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns, including a career-long 93-yarder to Jordy Nelson, and the Green Bay Packers remained unbeaten with a 24-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Rodgers threw for 310 yards for the Packers (6-0), who came into the game as one of only two undefeated NFL teams. James Jones and Donald Driver also caught touchdowns from Rodgers, although the Packers offense hit a lull and didn’t score in the second half.
Sam Bradford was 28 of 44 for 321 yards with an interception for the winless Rams (0-5), who were coming off their bye week.
Rams running back Steven Jackson had 18 carries for 96 yards.
Rodgers did throw his third interception of the season, a tipped ball in the fourth quarter.
The Packers were wearing blue-and-gold uniforms designed to replicate a 1929 design, but Rodgers’ ability to scramble out of trouble and make big plays was anything but a throwback to the days of leather helmets. Rodgers did offer a wholehearted endorsement of the third uniform earlier in the week, saying the pants were among the most comfortable football pants he’d ever worn.
As Rodgers kept rolling, the Packers continued to brush off a fresh batch of injuries.
Green Bay got right tackle Bryan Bulaga back from a knee injury after the 2010 first-round pick missed the Packers’ previous two games. But the Packers will have to live without veteran left tackle Chad Clifton for the foreseeable future after Clifton injured his hamstring in last Sunday’s victory at Atlanta.
Unheralded second-year player Marshall Newhouse took over for Clifton, but the Rams couldn’t get much pressure on Rodgers — and when they did, he simply spun away from it.
The Packers also were banged up at safety. Already missing Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins, who will miss the season after sustaining a neck injury in Week 2, fellow safety Morgan Burnett had to play Sunday’s game with a huge club on his broken right hand.
And Green Bay’s secondary took another blow in the third quarter when Packers cornerback Sam Shields sustained a head injury after he picked off a Bradford pass in the end zone and was hit hard.
The Rams were able to run up some yards early on, but potential scoring drives fizzled because of penalties and big plays by the Packers defense.
St. Louis drove to the Green Bay 23 on its first drive, but tight end Lance Kendricks was called for a false start. The Rams settled for a field goal attempt, and Josh Brown missed from 47 yards. Green Bay took over and drove for a 32-yard Mason Crosby field goal.
Facing a fourth-and-3 play near the end of the first quarter, the Rams went for it and Bradford threw incomplete. The Packers got the ball back and gambled on fourth down as well, going for it on fourth-and-1 at the 50. James Starks burst through the line for a 15-yard gain.
Rodgers showed his mastery of play action on the next play, faking a handoff to Starks on the right side, rolling to his left and delivered a perfect pass to Jones in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown and 10-0 lead.
After a Rams punt pinned the Packers at their own 7-yard line, Rodgers got the best of former teammate Al Harris on his big play to Nelson. Rodgers got the veteran cornerback to bite on a fake and then threw a rainbow to the wide-open Nelson for an easy score and a 17-0 lead.
Rodgers put together another drive toward the end of the second quarter, capitalizing on the threat of his running ability to finish it off. On second-and-goal at the 7, Rodgers appeared to make a run for the end zone — then pulled up and flipped the ball to Driver for a touchdown with 1:51 left before halftime.
Bradford took a beating on the Rams’ final drive of the half thanks to a couple of hard hits by Clay Matthews, but St. Louis drove for a 36-yard field goal by Brown. Green Bay led 24-3 at the half.
