Packers Wire staff predictions: Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Rams

The Green Bay Packers (8-3) will attempt to go into the bye week with a big win over a contender when the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) arrive at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 12 showdown with the Rams will go down:

Zach Kruse (6-5): Rams 27, Packers 23

Both of these teams are in a little bit of an unpredictable phase. The Rams have lost two straight games but are talented, well-coached and coming out of the bye week. The Packers have lost two of three games but are talented, well-coached and desperate to get to the bye week to heal up. The guess here is that the Rams have too many advantages at the line of scrimmage and will use the energy coming out of the bye to sneak past the tired, beat-up Packers. I think the Rams take control early and fend off a late comeback attempt. With so many missing players along the offensive line and on defense, this is a tough spot for Matt LaFleur’s team. Getting to the bye with a win would be huge, but an 8-4 record with a week off wouldn’t be the end of the world considering everything the Packers have been through during the first 12 weeks.

Jack Wepfer (7-4): Packers 24, Rams 21

The Packers are riddled by injuries at key positions, and the Rams are locked and loaded with talent. With that said, I haven’t seen the production out of the Rams I would have expected with the McVay-Stafford duo. They run a lot more empty, moving away from the heavy pre-snap motion that users to define the trunk of the McVay offensive coaching tree. It took Rodgers two years to fully realize his talents in LaFleur’s system, so that might be the case with Stafford. I see a very close game that – gulp – comes down to a field goal. The Packers set up a gimme for Crosby, which he makes and keeps the Packers in contention for the No. 1 seed.

Brandon Carwile (7-4): Packers 24, Rams 20

Green Bay has yet to lose back to back games under Matt LaFleur and they aren’t going to break the streak against his close friend Sean McVay. Los Angeles is fresh off a bye week and two straight losses so they are hungry and we’ll rested. However, Matthew Stafford had two interceptions in each of his last two games and the Packers had multiple chances at picks that could have won them last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. The defense will come away with a big takeaway on Sunday that turns out to be a game-deciding play.

Joe Kipp (7-3): Rams 27, Packers 20

Hopefully for the Packers’ sake the Rams aren’t leading at halftime. Rams coach Sean McVay is 43-0 when leading at half, and the Packers have been notorious for slow starts in the first quarter this season. Green Bay will be shorthanded on the offensive line again, with Elgton Jenkins out for the season (knee) and David Bakhtiari still not ready to play. It also doesn’t help the Rams are coming off a bye week. McVay is 3-1 off a bye, and his teams haven’t allowed more than 17 points a single time. This is going to be tough game for Aaron Rodgers up front, who’s already battling a broken toe. Green Bay falls short by a touchdown headed into their bye week.

Brennen Rupp (4-3): Packers 23, Rams 17

As mentioned earlier the Packers have never lost back-to-back games under Matt LaFleur and that tradition continues on Sunday. With Aaron Jones looking likely to play, I expect the Packers to rely heavily on the duo of Jones and AJ Dillon to pick up the win at Lambeau Field.

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Packers vs. Rams preview: Who has the advantage in Week 12?