National Football League

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams fall to Green Bay Packers, continue losing streak

Updated Nov. 29, 2021 6:37 p.m. ET

A Los Angeles Rams season billed by many as Super Bowl-or-bust is trending perilously toward the latter.

A 36-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday only amplified those concerns, as the Rams dropped a third straight game to fall to 7-4 on the season.

In a duel between marquee quarterbacks, Packers star Aaron Rodgers got the better of Rams signal-caller Matthew Stafford.

The 33-year-old Stafford completed 55.3% of his 38 pass attempts for 302 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 96.6 passer rating. He also lost a fumble on L.A.'s second possession of the game. Meanwhile, Rodgers — who was dealing with an ailing toe — went 28-for-45 for 307 yards, two TDs, zero picks and a 97.2 passer rating. Rodgers also scampered for a 1-yard rushing TD.

Aaron Rodgers delivers for Packers despite battling a toe injury in 36-28 win over Rams

Aaron Rodgers connects with his old pal Randall Cobb for a 7-yard touchdown and beats Jalen Ramsey to the pylons for a rushing touchdown.

On the plus side, the Rams started the fourth quarter with a deep touchdown to Odell Beckham Jr., marking the wideout's first touchdown as a Ram and first since Week 4 of last season, when he was a member of the Cleveland Browns.

While the Rams outscored the Packers 11-0 in the fourth quarter, the rally ultimately fell short after Los Angeles failed to recover an onside kick attempt with 18 seconds left.

The Rams' 36-17 deficit heading into the game's final quarter was highlighted — or lowlighted, in this case — by a Stafford pick-six late in the third quarter.

That interception marked Stafford's third straight game with a pick-six, a career first for the QB.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the Rams have lost all three of those games. The slide for L.A. is just the second time under head coach Sean McVay that the Rams have dropped three in a row.

The losing streak also coincides with the closure of the NFL's Nov. 2 trade deadline, at which the Rams were one of the most active teams.

They added pass-rusher Von Miller ahead of the deadline, then picked up OBJ off waivers a week later. Around the time of those deals, the sentiment surrounding the Rams was that they were going all-in on making a Super Bowl run this season.

However, in the three games since, the results have been anything but positive.

After starting the season 7-1, the Rams have hit a major backslide across the board. In their first eight games, the Rams scored an average of 30.6 points and went off for 20-plus in each game.

In their past three games, the Rams have averaged just 18.0 points and been held to fewer than 20 points on two occasions. The loss of superstar wideout Robert Woods to a season-ending knee injury ahead of the losing streak certainly plays a role, but it's not just the offense coming up short.

The defense hasn't shown up lately, either. In their first eight games, the Rams allowed an average of 21.0 points and let just one opponent, the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, score 28 or more.

The past three weeks? Los Angeles' defense is allowing an average of 31.7 points and has let all three of its opponents reach the 28-point threshold.

As Nick Wright put it on Monday's episode of "First Things First," the Rams don't exactly seem to be instilling fear in their opponents at the moment.

"I think it's a big deal for a Rams team — that has put all of their eggs in this year's basket — to see, 'OK, we're good. But we're not as good as the other good teams. We're not good enough.' And I don't see that changing," Wright said.

Nick Wright: The Rams are not good enough, and I don't see that changing

Nick Wright and Chris Broussard lay out why the Rams' struggles are a Matt Stafford issue and why the Rams are not as good as the other good teams in the NFL.

On top of that, Skip Bayless of "Undisputed" said Monday that he isn't sold on Beckham.

In fact, Bayless said he believes OBJ presents a "problem" for the Rams.

"I believe that now Matt Stafford, as opposed to Baker Mayfield, has an Odell problem," Bayless said. "He is very difficult to deal with."

Skip Bayless on Rams' loss to Packers: Stafford has an OBJ problem

Skip Bayless explains how the Rams' loss shows that Matthew Stafford has an Odell Beckham Jr. problem.

The good news for Rams fans? McVay hasn't lost four games in a row in his five years as a head coach.

When the Rams previously lost three in a row — from Weeks 4 through 6 in 2019 — they bounced back with a 37-10 drumming of the Atlanta Falcons.

Given their precarious standing, second in the NFC West behind the Cardinals and just one game ahead of the charging San Francisco 49ers, the Rams need to rebound in a big way.

A Week 13 date with the 2-9 Jacksonville Jaguars could present the perfect opportunity to do so while course-correcting for a possible Super Bowl berth.