An excerpt from the latest Bret Stuter article at RamblinFan.com

Here’s Bret Stuter…

Ramblin’ Fan – The Green Bay Packers have been remarkably effective this year on defense. What is the biggest (positive) surprise about new defensive coordinator Joe Barry? The biggest disappointment?

Dairyland Express: Overall the biggest surprise I’d say is just how good they’ve been–I mean at times they’ve been downright dominant. With Joe Barry’s track record as defensive coordinator, many were skeptical of the hiring, and then Week 1 happened where Green Bay gave up 38 points to New Orleans—so confidence wasn’t exactly high among the fan base.

But since then they’ve improved each week and now rank 5th in points per game allowed and 7th in yards per game given up. Recently, Green Bay would hold Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson to 34 total points, just 601 combined passing yards, and force four interceptions. Not to mention that the defense has played at this level without Za’Darius Smith and Jaire Alexander for much of the season.

It’s not a coincidence that role players like Dean Lowry, Chandon Sullivan, and others have all had some of the better performances of their careers this season–Barry’s defensive scheme, which Rams fans will be very familiar with, is playing a huge role. Players are being put in positions to succeed.

There really isn’t one big thing that I can point to and say I’ve been disappointed in this. Now, of course, there are decisions here and there that could have been done differently or plays that weren’t made — it’s not like it has been perfect by any means — but overall coming into the season, I really didn’t know what to expect so my expectations were tempered. However, those expectations have now been surpassed.

This defense ranks top-10 in two key categories and while the offense has struggled to click at times, it’s been the defense who has helped Green Bay secure a few wins–which has been a pleasant surprise.

Ramblin’ Fan – The Packers’ offense deployed an incredibly effective dink-and-dunk offensive game plan in the 2020 NFL Playoffs, attacking the Rams inside linebackers with both the run and pass plays. How do you see the Packers’ offense attacking the Rams in Week 12, and for that matter, for the remainder of the season?

Dairyland Express: As I mentioned above, there’s been a tendency to force the ball downfield and to abandon the run game at times. Although the run game hasn’t been dominant, it’s certainly been effective this season.

While Rodgers, Davante Adams, and the passing game draw much of the attention, this offense is at its best when Green Bay doesn’t become pass-heavy and the ball is out of Rodgers’ hands quickly. This past week against Minnesota is a prime example of this. Early on, there were a lot of deep shots, a lack of rushing attempts, and Rodgers holding onto the ball. But in the second half — when things were clicking — this offense was much more in rhythm and on time.

According to NFL NextGen Stats, when Rodgers threw “in rhythm” on Sunday, meaning he got rid of the ball between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds, he was 16/19 for 303 yards with two touchdowns.

I’ll say it again, a good run/pass mix, quick passes, play-action, and boots are the recipe for success for this offense. So my hope is that we see more of this on Sunday.

Game summary

The Packers are limping through Week 12, looking forward to their Week 13 BYE week. Beyond their injury report, the Packers will be without tight end Robert Tonyan, linebacker Za’Darious Smith, offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, offensive lineman Josh Meyers, and cornerback Jaire Alexander. They will also likely be without offensive lineman David Bakhtiari.

While the Rams players’ are still nursing injuries, look for many to suit up after the BYE Week.

This will be a huge prove-it game for the Rams. Losing this one will solidify the doubt about this team’s ability to win a big game. Can the Rams put it all together? They did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will do so this time too. Want the details? Just check out our ESPN Playoff Machine article (shown below).

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Paul Breitl and Dairyland Express for taking the time to share vital information and perspective about the Green Bay Packers. As always, here’s hoping for a good game and no injuries.