Another year, another NFC Championship Game berth for the Green Bay Packers, who took down the Los Angeles Rams 32-18.
Aaron Rodgers – the top MVP candidate – led the way as the number one Packers advanced to their second successive NFC title game by beating the Rams in the Divisional Round at Lambeau Field on Saturday.
Packers quarterback Rodgers flexed his muscles – finishing 23-of-36 passing for 296 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks, while the Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP rushed for another TD.
Rams QB Jared Goff was 21 of 27 for 174 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay, where he was sacked four times.
The Packers, who lost to the San Francisco 49ers in last season's Championship Game, and Rams traded field goals in an evenly contested opening quarter.
But the Packers moved clear after outscoring the Rams 16-7 in the second period – Rodgers throwing a TD pass to Davante Adams and running for his own TD while Goff connected with Van Jefferson as Green Bay took a 19-10 lead into half-time.
Aaron Jones extended the Packers' lead to 25-10 with a one-yard run before Rams star Cam Akers helped close the visitors within seven points of Green Bay.
However, the Packers were too good as Rodgers threw a 58-yard pass to Allen Lazard with less than seven minutes remaining in the final quarter to send Green Bay back to the NFC title contest.
Turning point – Green Bay maintain second-quarter dominance
There is no better team than the Packers in second quarters.
Green Back set an NFL season record for second-quarter points with 205 heading into the postseason. The New England Patriots had previously held the record with 199 in 2007.
The Packers showed why they are so good in second periods after scoring 16 points to move clear of the Rams on Saturday.
Rodgers produces the goods… again
Rodgers showed he is the man for the big stage once again after recording his 12th career playoff game with 250-plus passing yards and two-plus passing touchdowns.
According to NFL Research, the only other payers in NFL history with 10-plus such games are Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (17), Joe Montana (12) and New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees (10).
Rodgers also eclipsed Brett Favre for most playoff completions (439) in Packers history.
Per Stats Perform, Rodgers has thrown for multiple passing TDs in eight consecutive postseason games, tied with Joe Flacco for the longest streak in history. Now with 233 in his career, Rodgers also passed Favre for the most touchdown passes thrown at Lambeau Field (regular and postseason).
What's next?
The Packers – eyeing their first Super Bowl crown since 2010 – will face the winner of the Buccaneers-Saints matchup in the NFC Championship showdown on January 24.
For the Rams, they are left to pick up the pieces after returning to the playoffs following a year absence, having lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
Dallas Cowboys CB Diggs reportedly tears ACL
Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Thursday's practice.
NFL.com reports that an MRI confirmed the extent of the injury, which Diggs sustained during a one-on-one drill. The fourth-year standout was later spotted on crutches at the Cowboys' training facility, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Diggs' absence is a major blow to a Dallas team that's outscored the opposition by a 70-10 margin in winning its first two games. The 25-year-old's 18 interceptions since entering the NFL in 2020 are tied for the most by any player over that span.
A second-round pick by Dallas in 2020, Diggs earned first team All-Pro honours in 2021 by recording a league-leading 11 interceptions, the most by any player in a single season since the Cowboys' Everson Walls also had 11 in 1981.
Diggs was off to another strong start in 2023, as he allowed just two completions on nine pass attempts thrown his way for a total of 26 yards to go along with one interception.
"Saw that I guess a couple of you saw (Diggs injured) out there on the field," Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters following Thursday's practice. "Prayers, hoping for the best, simple as that.”
Diggs had just signed a five-year, $97 million extension in training camp that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season.
The Cowboys do have depth at cornerback after acquiring 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts in March to form a trio with Diggs and DaRon Bland, the team's leader with five interceptions in 2022.
Dallas could move Bland from the slot into Diggs' outside position with Jourdan Lewis taking over the nickel role. Lewis started 30 games over the previous three seasons, but has been eased into action in 2023 due to a foot injury that limited him to just six games last season.
Vikings acquire running back Akers from Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have found a taker for Cam Akers, trading the running back to the Minnesota Vikings.
The deal was completed on Wednesday, with the teams swapping draft picks in 2026.
Akers was a healthy scratch in last Sunday's 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rams confirmed this week they were looking for a trade partner.
A trade to Minnesota reunites Akers with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who served as offensive coordinator for the Rams in Akers' first two NFL seasons.
The Vikings' ground game needs some help, averaging a league-low 34.5 rushing yards per game and 2.65 yards per attempt.
Alexander Mattison was given the No. 1 running back job as Minnesota opted to trade Dalvin Cook this offseason, but he's managed just 62 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Akers hasn't been any better this year, finishing with 29 rushing yards on 22 attempts in the Rams' 30-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks.
He is, however, coming off a career-high 786 rushing yards last season.
Drafted in the second round in 2020, the 24-year-old Akers, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, rushed for 625 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
A preseason Achilles tendon tear wiped out nearly all of his second season, but he was able to return for the regular-season finale and rush for 172 yards in four playoff games to help the Rams capture the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles is now moving forward at running back with Kyren Williams.
The second-year back made his first career start last week and ran for 52 yards with a touchdown on 14 carries after rushing for 52 yards with two TDs in Week 1.
New York Giants rule out RB Barkley for Week 3
The New York Giants have ruled out Saquon Barkley for Thursday's game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a sprained right ankle the star running back sustained Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
ESPN reported Monday that Barkley was expected to miss around three weeks after injuring his ankle in the latter stages of New York's 31-28 Week 2 win, though Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters Tuesday the 2022 Pro Bowl selection was feeling better and the team had yet to make a determination on Barkley's status.
With Barkley unavailable, the Giants will have former 49er Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell as their top two running backs for Thursday's matchup.
Breida has spent the majority of his seven-year career as a backup, but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with San Francisco in 2018. Brightwell's most extensive action came in the 2022 regular-season finale, in which he rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Neither has the credentials of Barkley, who finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 2022 to help the Giants to their first playoff appearance in six years. The 26-year-old accounted for 27.7 per cent of New York's total yards from scrimmage last season, the sixth-highest rate of any player for his respective team.
Barkley also played a major role in Sunday's win, in which the Giants overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick had both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half and ended the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries along with six receptions for 29 yards.
The two-time Pro Bowler has been slowed by ankle problems in the past, however. Barkley missed three games in 2019 with a high ankle sprain and four in 2021 with an injury to his left ankle.
The Giants will also be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for a second straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the team's season-opening 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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