INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams (1-4) fell to the Packers 24-19 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford's 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter cut the Rams' deficit to five; the ensuing 2-point attempt on a sweep handoff to wide receiver Tutu Atwell was unsuccessful. A little over 30 seconds later, Los Angeles got the ball back after cornerback Darious Williams forced an incomplete pass on third down that forced Green Bay to punt.
The Rams' ensuing drive was kept alive by a conversion 4th and 1 from the Packers 46 with 1:57 remaining via a 3-yard run by running back Kyren Williams, but the second attempt – a 4th and 5 with 1:05 remaining on the Packers 38 – was unsuccessful after Stafford's pass intended for tight end Colby Parkinson was incomplete.
The Packers (3-2) forcing two Rams turnovers and scored touchdowns on each of those ensuing drives in the third quarter ultimately proved to be enough for them to withstand the Rams' late rally.
Williams notched his 8th-consecutive game with a rushing touchdown in the loss, marking the second-longest streak in Rams franchise history behind Greg Bell's 10 from 1988-89. He finished with 22 carries for 102 yards overall in addition to that touchdown. Meanwhile, safety Jaylen McCollough had his first career interception – which he returned four yards for a touchdown.
Here is the complete game recap, presented by Cedars-Sinai:
Both teams traded 3-and-outs to open the game before the Packers– helped by a 53-yard completion from Love to Reed – took an early 7-0 lead on a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Jacobs, who went left, then reversed course to the right and reached the pylon for the score.
The Rams reached the Packers' 4-yard line on the ensuing drive and elected to go for it on 4th down, but the Packers took over on downs after Stafford threw an incomplete pass intended for tight end Colby Parkinson. However, that shallow field position – and a third-down drop by Reed – ultimately helped Los Angeles get the ball back quickly.
L.A. capitalized with a 1-yard touchdown run by Williams at the end of that drive to tie the game 7-7 with 9:47 left in the second quarter.
The Rams took a 13-7 lead after outside linebacker Byron Young's pressure and hit on Love forced an errant throw which was intercepted by McCollough and returned for a touchdown with 2:02 left in the first half.
A Williams fumble on the second-half opening drive stalled momentum for the Rams after they had reached the Packers 27. Green Bay recovered the loose ball at its own 30. Two plays later, Love connected with tight end Tucker Kraft for a 66-yard touchdown pass to give the Packers a 17-13 lead with 11:15 left in the third quarter.
After Packers safety Xavier McKinney intercepted a Stafford deep pass intended for wide receiver Atwell, Green Bay once again converted a Los Angeles turnover into points via a 7-yard touchdown pass from Love to Kraft to extend its lead to 24-13 late in the third quarter.
Stafford hit Whittington for back-to-back completions of 17 yards after getting the ball back with 6:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. A defensive pass interference penalty drawn by tight end Colby Parkinson in the redzone set up the Rams at the 1-yard line, and on the next play, Stafford tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. The ensuing 2-point attempt was unsuccessful, however, and left Los Angeles trailing 24-19 with 3:30 to play.
About 30 seconds later, cornerback Darious Williams' timely third-down pass breakup forced the Packers to punt, giving the Rams the ball back with 2:58 remaining. But the ensuing drive ended with the unsuccessful conversion on 4th and 5 from the Green Bay 38, sealing the loss.
The Los Angeles Rams take on the Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium in Week 5 of the 2024 season. Take a look at photos from the matchup!