Rams season ends in emotional NFL playoff loss to Packers

As the last few minutes passed, Aaron Donald stood on the sidelines trying to hold back his tears.

In Saturday’s NFC Division Round playoff game against the seeded Green Bay Packers, a Rams defense led by its star defensive tackle carried the team.

But with Donald limited with a rib injury, the Rams had no answer for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The lead MVP contender and future Hall of Famer watched every track, passing for two touchdowns and running for another to send the Rams to a 32-18 loss in front of a crowd of 7,439 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“This defense has been solid and phenomenal all year,” said Rams coach Sean McVay. “It’s a difficult result and it’s a difficult end of the season.

“But I don’t think that takes away how great they’ve been and how instrumental they’ve been in us getting to even this stage as a team.

The Packers have advanced to the NFC Championship game, where they will play the winner of Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rams’ season ended with a day with temperatures in the mid-1930s and light snow.

“I love the scars that we were able to respond to,” McVay said. “There has been a lot of ebb and flow this year.”

Most of the highlights came through a defense under the guidance of freshman coordinator Brandon Staley. The Rams led the NFL with the fewest yards and runs allowed. They were first in passing defense and second in sacks.

But with Donald playing scaled-down shots, Rodgers and the Packers have shown why they are the league’s biggest offense.

Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 296 yards. Early in the second quarter, he joined star receiver Davante Adams for a one-yard touchdown. On the Packers’ next possession, he faked a pass before running for a one-yard score.

Rodgers froze the game with a 58-yard strike to receiver Allen Lazard with just under seven minutes to go.

“No matter what type of defense we were in, he would just look up and whatever he saw he would do the opposite of what we were showing, and it ended up working,” said John Johnson, security of the Rams.

The Rams didn’t fire Rodgers and they only hit him once.

“I don’t know if I was barely hit all night other than the shoving to get out of the pocket,” Rodgers said.

The few times the Rams pressured Rodgers, he escaped and made plays that helped the Packers amass 484 yards, the Rams’ most abandoned this season. It was only the second time this season that they have given up 30 points or more.

“He was doing what he was doing,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “You try not to get caught up in it. You try to rush in and chase him, and he’s still making these plays.

“You’re like, ‘Shit.’ You just hope he doesn’t find an open receiver – and it looks like he does nine out of ten times.

The Rams have missed the few opportunities to create turnovers. At the end of the first half, Johnson and safety Troy Hill almost intercepted passes. In the second half, the Rams forced running back AJ Dillon to fumble, but he bounced straight off Rodgers.

“Being on the road, different weather conditions, an all-time great quarterback – we had a few opportunities… but we didn’t concede,” Johnson said. “And that could have been the difference in the outcome of the match.”

Rodgers had help. Running back Aaron Jones had 99 yards and a touchdown. Jamaal Will-iams rushed for 65 yards and Dillon added 27.

That was more than enough to make up for an attack by the Rams, without injured wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who had another standout performance from rookie running back Cam Akers but missed several chances.

Quarterback Jared Goff, wearing gloves to protect his surgically repaired right thumb, completed 21 of 27 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.

But that was no consolation for Goff.

“My job is to win the game,” he said. “There is absolutely no moral victory, especially in the playoffs.”

The Rams missed a chance to score a touchdown in the first quarter when, on a fourth and one on the Packers 14-yard line, guard Austin Corbett was penalized for a false start. The Rams were forced to settle for a basket that tied the score 3-3.

“Sadly, getting a penalty and not getting seven points there, I mean what a huge difference that could have been there in the fourth quarter,” said Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth.

The Rams were trailing 19-10 at halftime. The Packers extended their lead early in the third quarter after Jones interrupted a 60-yard run on the first play of the second half and then ended the run with a touchdown.

But the Rams shot under 25-18 on a touchdown by Akers from the wild formation, and a hook-and-ladder side play to Akers for a two-run conversion.

“When we got it down to 25-18 and that momentum started to kick back, you could feel it,” Goff said.

McVay said: “I really thought that would be our chance to come back and potentially lead and score and tie the football game – and you never know what happens.

After a Packers punt, the Rams started at their six-yard line and got to 32 before Kenny Clark sacked Goff on the second down, forcing the Rams to punt.

“It was kind of our chance to really come back into the game and put some points on the board,” said Goff, “and unfortunately we missed it.

The Rams forced Dillon to fumble on the second play of the next possession, but Rodgers picked up the ball. Three games later, he faked a transfer, backed up and hit Lazard in stride for a touchdown with 6:52 to go.

The Rams’ last possession ended with the sacking of Goff with just under five minutes left.

“There’s never a right way to have feelings right now, when there’s such a finality and you aren’t expecting it,” McVay said.