Packers vs. Rams playoff game: Live updates and score - The Washington Post

Aaron Rodgers and the top-seeded Green Bay Packers host Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday to kick off the NFC divisional round. Follow along for live updates during the game.

What you need to know

• How to watch: Kickoff is at 4:35 p.m. on Fox; stream at foxsports.com.
• What to watch for: A year after making the NFC championship game, the Packers earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, led by an MVP-caliber season from Rodgers. The Rams will pose a challenge and have one of the NFL’s best defenses, but their success will hinge on the play of Goff, who is just a couple of weeks removed from surgery on his throwing thumb.
• Complete NFL schedule and results

12:23 a.m.

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Packers take control after touchdown, drive-ending sack

By Glynn A. Hill

Wide receiver Allen Lazard was presented with an imaginary crown from his teammates after he ran behind the Rams defense and set up a 58-yard touchdown strike from Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers and Lazard couldn’t connect earlier in the quarter, but the play-action pass helped Lazard escape Troy Hill and Jordan Fuller in coverage.

On the ensuing drive, the Packers sacked Jared Goff on a fourth down play to regain possession, halting a seven-play drive. (Packers 32, Rams 18 with 4:59 left in the 4th quarter)

11:54 p.m.

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Rams draw within one possession on Akers touchdown

By Glynn A. Hill

Los Angeles pushed Green Bay downfield throughout an 11-play, 79-yard drive culminating in a seven-yard Cam Akers touchdown. Akers lined up in a wildcat formation, blasting past linebacker Krys Barnes and dragging him into the end zone. On the two-point conversion, Jared Goff hit Van Jefferson on a quick pass, before Jefferson tossed a lateral to Akers, who zipped around the edge into the end zone.

The Rams forced Green Bay’s first punt of the game halfway through the third quarter on the previous drive. (Packers 25, Rams 18 with 15:00 left in the 4th quarter)

11:22 p.m.

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Aaron Jones runs up the Packers’ lead

By Glynn A. Hill

Running back Aaron Jones powered Green Bay to its third touchdown early in the second half. He burst upfield for a 60-yard gain on the first play of the drive and spun into the end zone five plays later. Rams cornerback Troy Hill broke up the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, which could have been prompted by a botched extra point attempt in the second quarter. (Packers 25, Rams 10 with 11:24 left in the 3rd quarter)

11:15 p.m.

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Packers lead Rams, 19-10, at halftime

By Glynn A. Hill

The top-seeded Packers were favored over the sixth-seeded Rams in what was supposed to be a dogfight between an elite pass attack and a stingy pass defense. But MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers dissected a Rams defense that harassed the Seattle Seahawks a week ago.

Los Angeles finished the regular season ranked second in sacks and got to Russell Wilson five times in last Saturday’s first-round win. But Rodgers operated with time in the pocket throughout the first half.

He went 14-of-20 for 169 yards with one touchdown on the ground and another through the air without a sack. The Packers scored each of their four drives. Rams sack leader Aaron Donald, who sporadically checked out of the game during Green Bay’s first half drives, had one tackle.

Rodgers threw in his lone touchdown pass to Davante Adams when his receiver slipped away from cornerback Jalen Ramsey for a go-ahead score in the second quarter. Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who had surgery on his thumb three weeks ago, appeared unencumbered by the injury, completing nine of 10 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Rams cornerback Troy Hill dropped a would-be interception with eight seconds remaining in the half. Two plays later, Mason Crosby reestablished a two-possession lead with a 39-yard field goal attempt as the half expired. (Packers 19, Rams 10 at halftime)

10:55 p.m.

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Rams reduce deficit before halftime

By Glynn A. Hill

An up-tempo Rams drive, their most productive of the game at nine plays for 75 yards, resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Van Jefferson. Just one of their previous three first half drives lasted more than three plays before punts prior to their touchdown-scoring drive. (Packers 16, Rams 10 with :29 left in the 2nd quarter)

10:46 p.m.

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Packers extend lead on Rodgers touchdown run

By Glynn A. Hill

On third-and-goal from the Rams one-yard line, Aaron Rodgers rolled right then pump faked to send Leonard Floyd airborne, which created space for him to scurry around the edge and slip into the end zone to cap a nine-play, 47-yard drive.

The Rams held NFL offenses to the fewer points per game (18.5) than any other team this season, but the Packers have scored on each of their three possessions.

Green Bay missed the opportunity for extra points because of a bad hold by JK Scott. (Packers 16, Rams 3 with 2:00 left in the 2nd quarter)

10:24 p.m.

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Adams scores touchdown on Ramsey as Packers regain lead

By Glynn A. Hill

Aaron Rodgers found Davante Adams in the end zone for the 19th time this season to recapture the lead. The Packers brought Adams in motion to the left, where he lured cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Rodgers then motioned Adams back to the right where he escaped Ramsey and found open space in the flat after the snap.

Earlier in the drive, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty following his scuffle with Packers guard Elgton Jenkins. (Packers 10, Rams 3 with 10:49 left in the 2nd quarter)

10:09 p.m.

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Lil Wayne pens Packers anthem ahead of Rams contest

By Glynn A. Hill

Rapper Lil Wayne dropped a new version of “Green and Yellow” Friday, ahead of the Packers divisional round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. He hopes the anthem will produce similar results to its first iteration, which was released ahead of Green Bay’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

The rapper was born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans, but as he explained on ESPN’s “First Take” in 2015, he became a Packers fan through his father, who returned home from Super Bowl XXXI with Packers cups and towels after Brett Favre quarterbacked the team to a championship in New Orleans in 1997.

“When you from the hood, I was tryna tell them [in my previous interview] those cups and those towels, they don’t get put aside and say ‘Oh, do you remember that game?’ No, they get put with the real towels so therefore you bathe and use those towels everyday, and those cups are used everyday,” he said.

“I did a song before and we had a good turnout, it was successful. We had good results and we’ll try to do it again this time,” he said.

10:06 p.m.

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Rams respond, even the score with field goal

By Glynn A. Hill

Running back Cam Akers was stuffed at the line on third and two at Green Bay’s 15-yard line. The Rams lined up to go for it, but guard Austin Corbett was called for a false start, setting the team back five yards. Kicker Matt Gay slotted the 37-yard field goal to tie the game.

The Rams appeared poised to score early in the drive on gains of 28 and 19 yards from quarterback Jared Goff to receivers Josh Reynolds and Robert Woods, respectively. But three plays later, the Packers held Akers to a one-yard gain on third down. (Packers 3, Rams 3 with 4:39 left in the 1st quarter)

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Packers take early lead with Crosby field goal

By Glynn A. Hill

The Packers marched up the field on their first drive, but their 12-play drive stalled five yards from the end zone, setting up a Mason Crosby field goal from 24 yards out. The Rams, who opened the game with the ball, were stopped for a three-and-out and forced to punt on on their first drive. (Packers 3, Rams 0 with 8:42 left in the 1st quarter)

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Contingencies mulled for NFL scouting combine, but no decision yet

By Mark Maske

League officials are discussing contingency plans for the upcoming NFL scouting combine that include taking a more regionalized approach to player evaluation and medical examinations of draft-eligible players, but have not yet settled on a format.

“Nothing is finalized,” one person familiar with the deliberations said.

It appears unlikely that the scouting combine will be held in the traditional manner in Indianapolis beginning in late February, with a large group of players gathered in one place at the same time.

The discussions include the possibilities of having players undergo medical exams in different cities. Workouts also could be conducted on a regional basis, or could be limited to players’ on-campus pro days. Players’ interviews with teams are likely to be done remotely.

If there is a modified event in Indianapolis, it could be delayed or spread out over a longer period of time so that different groups of players are on hand at different times.

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Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur spin the latest chapter in a story dating to their time in Washington

By Glynn A. Hill

Before Rams Coach Sean McVay was anointed the wunderkind of the NFL coaching world, he was more of a third wheel.

“I’d come third-wheel it with them a lot,” McVay told ESPN, referring to his time with Packers coach Matt LaFleur and his wife, BreAnne, when they worked for the Washington Football Team. “They kind of took me under their wing.”

McVay and LaFleur joined former WFT Coach Mike Shanahan’s staff as assistants in 2010. LaFleur coached quarterbacks, eventually mentoring Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins. McVay began as an assistant tight ends coach, but evolved into the team’s offensive coordinator by the time Shanahan’s successor, Jay Gruden, took over in 2014 — and ultimately dismissed LaFleur and nine other assistants.

Their paths crossed again in 2017, when McVay left Washington to coach the Rams and hired LaFleur as his offensive coordinator. LaFleur departed the following year seeking play-calling responsibilities and was hired as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator. He became the Packers head coach in January 2019, a month before McVay’s Rams lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

At the combined age of 75 — 10 years younger than the starting quarterbacks in Sunday’s NFC divisional round game — McVay and LaFleur will headline one of the youngest head coaching matchups in NFL playoff history Saturday.

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Rams, 49ers awarded third-round picks under NFL’s new diversity measure

By Mark Maske

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers have become the first two NFL franchises to be awarded two third-round draft choices each under the league’s new diversity measure to reward a franchise that develops a minority candidate hired by another team as a general manager or head coach. The New Orleans Saints soon could join them.

The Detroit Lions hired Rams executive Brad Holmes on Thursday as their general manager. That night, the New York Jets hired 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their head coach. The Atlanta Falcons are believed to be focused on Saints executive Terry Fontenot as the leading candidate to be their next general manager.

If so, the hires of Fontenot and Holmes would double the number of minority GMs in the NFL. They would join Miami’s Chris Grier and Cleveland’s Andrew Berry.

“It’s a confirmation of the exceptional talent that exists in men and women of color in this league,” Rod Graves, the executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said in a phone interview Thursday of the Lions’ choice of Holmes as GM. “When teams engage in a diligent and exhaustive process, we certainly feel like it increases our chances.”

The Fritz Pollard Alliance is a diversity group that works with the NFL on its minority hiring practices.

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Saints lineman tests positive for coronavirus, no close contacts identified

By Mark Maske

New Orleans Saints reserve offensive lineman Will Clapp tested positive for coronavirus but no other Saints players were identified as high-risk close contacts.

The positive test result for Clapp was confirmed Friday night by a person familiar with the situation.

The Saints are scheduled to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC divisional round playoff game Sunday at the Superdome. The status of that game is unaffected by Clapp’s positive test result. The game remains scheduled for Sunday at 6:40 p.m. Eastern time, pending further testing results.

The Saints played the final game of the regular season without four running backs. Star tailback Alvin Kamara tested positive for the coronavirus and three others were placed into five-day quarantines, under NFL protocols, after being classified as high-risk close contacts. Such contact-tracing issues also have led to other teams playing games at a severe competitive disadvantage this season.

However, that should not be an issue Sunday for the Saints. Clapp must isolate for at least 10 days and will miss the game. But with no other players placed into quarantine, the Saints will not face a shortage of offensive linemen.

The positive test result for Clapp was first reported Friday night by the NFL Network.

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