Rodgers, Packers beat Rams 32-18 to reach NFC title game

Aaron Rodgers me sure he’d play an NFC championship game at home for first time in his Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and also ran for a score as top-seeded Green Bay Packers defeated Los Angeles Rams 32-18 in an NFC divisional playoff game Saturday.

Green Bay's potent offense overpowered Rams' vaunted defense for much of day. Packers didn't allow any sacks despite playing without injured All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, while Green Bay sacked Jared Goff four times.

Packers reached NFC championship game for fourth time in last seven seasons as y chase ir first Super Bowl berth in a dece. It will be ir first at Lambeau Field since hosting for 2007 season, when y fell to New York Giants 23-20 in overtime.

Green Bay won Super Bowl for 2010 season as NFC’s . 6 seed, and has lost at Seattle, Atlanta and San Francisco in its last three conference championship game appearances.

Saturday’s game showed what a home-field vant can mean, even with far less than capacity on hand due to pandemic. Packers played in front of 8,456 fans – a crowd that included paying spectators for first time all season – but that small crowd me plenty of ise as Packers built an early le with sw flurries falling for much of first half.

“It’s special. re’s absolutely thing like it,” Rodgers said. "We have really missed that part of this experience. To run out of tunnel tonight with fans was unbelievable. It’s hard to explain how much presence means on field and just having that energy from crowd.”

That crowd changed “M! V! P!” during closing minutes to salute All-Pro quarterback Rodgers.

Buoyed by that crowd, Packers (14-3) often seemed on verge of putting game away. But Rams (11-7) continued to hang around. Green Bay finally sealed victory with a 58-yard completion from Rodgers to Allen Lazard with 6:52 left.

Rodgers went 23 of 36 for 296 yards, while Aaron Jones ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. Goff was 21 of 27 for 174 yards and a touchdown less than three weeks after undergoing thumb surgery, and Cam Akers rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Packers scored on each of ir first five series and led 25-10 early in third quarter. Even when Packers began a drive at ir 25 with 29 seconds and two timeouts left until halftime, Rodgers threw long completions to Davante ams and Robert Tonyan to set up Mason Crosby's 39-yard field goal as time expired.

Green Bay also settled for Crosby’s 24-yard field goal after having first-and-goal at 4 on its opening series. or three drives resulted in a 1-yard touchdown catch by ams and 1-yard scoring runs by Rodgers and Jones.

Rodgers’ touchdown run was first by a Packers quarterback in a playoff game at Lambeau Field since Bart Starr’s winning sneak in Ice Bowl against Dallas on Dec. 31, 1967.

Jones’ touchdown came after he opened second half with a 60-yard burst up middle against a defense that hn’t allowed a run from scrimm of longer than 27 yards all season.

After Rams finally forced a punt midway through third quarter, y capitalized with Akers’ 7-yard touchdown run on a direct snap. y cut it to 25-18 with a nifty 2-point conversion: Van Jefferson caught a pass from Goff and lateraled to Akers, who strolled into left corner of end zone.

Rams forced ar punt and got ball at ir 6, but Kenny Clark's sack stalled drive.

Green Bay’s A.J. Dillon fumbled on ensuing series, but Rodgers recovered at Packers 31 and vanced 3 yards. Three plays later, Rodgers hit Lazard, who caught ball around Rams 25 and raced into end zone for clinching touchdown.

INJURY REPORT

Rams played without leing receiver Cooper Kupp (knee) and usual starting left guard David Edwards (ankle). Bobby Evans started in place of Edwards at left guard.

Dillon injured hid quriceps when he fumbled.

UP NEXT

Rams' season is over.

Packers host eir New Orleans Saints or Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 24.

Im credits: AP