So much for defense winning championships.
When the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams met Sunday in the NFL Divisional round, the No. 1-ranked offense met the No. 1-ranked defense. And Aaron Rodgers and the Packers showed that offensive firepower can outmatch a staunch defense.
But it wasn’t all Rodgers. In fact, what made Green Bay’s offense tick was the combination of the run and pass, and the two combined to produce almost 100 more yards than the Rams had allowed all season.
“Nobody [can stop us],” wide receiver Davante Adams said (via PackersNews.com). “We stop ourselves. That’s been proven at this point. They’ve got a lot of guys that compete at a high level and some of the best at their position, but the way we come together is just different than anybody else.”
With defensive lineman Aaron Donald not 100% after suffering a rib injury last week against the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round, Rodgers didn’t feel much pressure in the pocket. And the three-pronged running attack of Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon did damage.
Rodgers finished with 296 yards and two passing touchdowns, and he added one rushing score. Jones led the ballcarriers with 99 yards and a score — including a 60-yard rush to open the second half — while Williams had 65 yards and Dillon produced 27.
And while much of the focus throughout the year has been paid to Adams — and for good reason, with 18 regular-season touchdowns — Rodgers spread the ball around to a wide cast of targets.
Allen Lazard reeled in the largest of those plays, a 58-yard deep ball for a score. But Robert Tonyan and Marquez Valdes-Scantling each had four catches, too, to supplement Adams’ nine.
“I think we believe in our wide receiver group in the utmost,” Lazard said. “We have the No. 1 offense in the league. So we’re not really worried about who’s on the other side of the ball, so to speak. We feel that we can stretch them vertically and horizontally as well. So we’re just playing fast, and just doing our job.”
Next, Green Bay will host either the New Orleans Saints or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Championship game. It will be the first time in Rodgers’ career that he’s hosted a championship game at Lambeau Field.
The Packers will bring with them a high-octane offense that blew past the Rams.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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