Random Ramsdom: Jalen Ramsey is all business about Baker Mayfield signing

Rams CB Jalen Ramsey Reaction to New QB Baker Mayfield? Shrug (FanNation/SI)

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I really had like a reaction to be honest,” Ramsey said of the addition of Mayfield. “I mean I had to go about business as usual.”

Through all the highs of last year and all the lows of this season, Ramsey has stayed true to having no filter and being honest about how he feels.

Most players might sugarcoat their answer and say they’re excited about the addition of a new player in order to possibly boost team morale or appear more connected in front of the media.

But it’s become obvious that a player of Ramsey’s competitiveness and fire hardly cares about building up any kind of narrative.

Still, having Mayfield be a major part of the 17-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Thursday was something Ramsey admitted he had a reaction to, though he hardly dug deep into his thesaurus in order to strengthen the narrative.

“(I was) glad that he was able to come in and lead us to a win,” Ramsey said. “That was cool. That was dope ... I didn’t really think too much about it. Like it’s the business side but then you still got to do your job and be prepared. So I had a task myself I had to worry about.”

Hardly looking to make friends, Ramsey will need to be as cold as ever at freezing Lambeau Field on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.”

2022 NFL season: Four things to watch for in Rams-Packers game on ‘Monday Night Football’ (nfl.com)

“Week 15’s Monday Night Football matchup pits two teams experiencing unprecedented struggles under their head coaches.

The 4-9 Rams already have their most losses in a season during the Sean McVay era and are guaranteed their first losing season since 2016.

The Packers, meanwhile, are two defeats away from their first season with double-digit losses since 2008 after amassing 39 regular-season wins in Matt LaFleur’s previous three seasons at the helm.

With that written, both squads are riding relative highs. The Rams snapped a six-game losing streak on Thursday Night Football against the Raiders thanks to a game-winning touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining, and the Packers overcame a 13-point deficit against the Bears ahead of a Week 14 bye to pass Chicago as the winningest team in NFL history.

Will the Rams be able to string together a couple victories and capture their first win at Lambeau since 2006, or will the Packers make it five straight against them in Green Bay?

Here are four things to watch for when the Packers host the Rams on Monday Night Football:

1. Does Aaron Rodgers quiet calls to see Jordan Love for another week? The whispers of Green Bay needing to see what it has in its first-round backup have only grown louder during a stretch of seven losses in nine games. It’s a popular topic thanks to the Packers’ record and Rodgers’ injuries — the two-time reigning Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player has been playing with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb since Week 5 and was knocked out of a Nov. 27 loss to the Eagles with a rib injury. However, Rodgers has shown no interest in ceding playing time while the club remains mathematically alive in the playoff hunt. To stay alive, Green Bay needs to stay in the win column. The onus of doing so will likely fall on Rodgers, who has already thrown as many interceptions this season (nine) as he did the last two combined. The offense has made it a point of emphasis to operate through Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon this season, but the Rams’ fifth-ranked rushing defense has allowed the 21st-most passing yards in the league. That’s where Los Angeles is most exploitable. Rodgers could need to air it out in this one.
2. Baker Mayfield’s encore. It’s hard to go more Hollywood than Mayfield did in his first game action as a Ram. Two days after Los Angeles claimed him off waivers, Mayfield didn’t just avoid looking overwhelmed. He led a 98-yard game-winning drive to give the Rams their first win since Oct. 16. Mayfield’s 22 completions in Week 14 tied a season-high and his 230 passing yards were his most since the season opener (235). With that miraculous drive, he also tied his win total from his six-start tenure in Carolina. In other words, blue and yellow seems to suit the former No. 1 overall pick. Mayfield has an opportunity in L.A.’s four remaining games to change the trajectory of his career after being discarded twice in the past six months. The next challenge comes against a Green Bay defense that seems imposing on the surface with the fifth-least total passing yards allowed, but also ranks 11th-worst in both completion percentage allowed (66.4) and passing yards allowed per attempt (6.9). There will be opportunities for Mayfield to make more magic, even with a depleted wide receiver room led by Ben Skowronek and Van Jefferson.”

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers odds, picks and predictions (sportsbookwire)

“The Los Angeles Rams (4-9) and Green Bay Packers (5-8) wrap up Week 15 on Monday Night Football. Kickoff from Lambeau Field is set for 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Rams vs. Packers odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.

The Rams are looking to make it 2 wins in a row after stunning the Las Vegas Raiders 17-16 last week, taking the lead for the first time in the game with 10 seconds remaining. The Rams haven’t won back-to-back games since Weeks 2 and 3, struggling through the season after winning the Super Bowl. The offense has been a major issue, as they entered the weekend tied for last in total yards (3,679) and 29th in points scored (218).

The Packers are only 1 game better than the Rams right now but their playoff hopes are still alive, although they likely need to win out. Green Bay was on its bye in Week 14 but the Packers beat the Chicago Bears 28-19 in their last game before getting a week off. The Packers rank 15th in total offense (4,493) and 18th in total defense (4,520) this season.”

Packers coach Matt LaFleur isn’t thrilled Sean McVay got Baker Mayfield (yahoo!news)

“Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur speak to each other every few weeks during the NFL season, the Rams and Green Bay Packers coaches keeping the close tie they established early in their careers.

But not every bit of good news for one is positive for the other.

Take, for example, the Rams’ decision to claim quarterback Baker Mayfield off waivers.

“I can’t say I was real excited from a competitive standpoint,” LaFleur said jokingly Friday during a videoconference with Rams reporters.

Now, with the Rams traveling to Lambeau Field for a “Monday Night Football” game, LaFleur and defensive coordinator Joe Barry — both former assistants under McVay — must game plan to try to shut down Mayfield, who with less than 48 hours of preparation led the Rams to a dramatic victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Rams trailed by 13 points when Mayfield directed two fourth-quarter scoring drives, the second covering 98 yards with no timeouts left. Mayfield finished with a game-winning touchdown pass to Van Jefferson.

“I don’t think there’s too many guys that could have done that,” LaFleur said. “I mean it’s pretty remarkable. ... Shoot, some of the throws he made on that last drive were pretty spectacular.”

Mayfield’s heroics helped the Rams end a six-game losing streak and improve their record to 4-9.

Despite the Rams’ struggles this season, McVay remained positive throughout, LaFleur said.

“Every time I’ve talked to him he’s been as positive as you could possibly be, I would say, given the circumstances,” LaFleur said. “They’ve gone through a lot this year just losing, obviously, key players.”

The Packers (5-8) also have struggled.

“It’s been an interesting season, to say the least,” LaFleur said. “Obviously, it hasn’t gone as smooth as we’d like it to.”

2022 NFL season, Week 15: What We Learned from Sunday’s games (nfl.com)

“Around The NFL breaks down what you need to know from all of Sunday’s action in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season. Catch up on each game’s biggest takeaways using the links below:

LATE GAMES

• Cincinnati Bengals 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23
• Los Angeles Chargers 17, Tennessee Titans 14
• Denver Broncos 24, Arizona Cardinals 15

EARLY GAMES

• Philadelphia Eagles 25, Chicago Bears 20
• Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Carolina Panthers 16
• Detroit Lions 20, New York Jets 17
• New Orleans Saints 21, Atlanta Falcons 18
• Jacksonville Jaguars 40, Dallas Cowboys 34 (OT)
• Kansas City Chiefs 30, Houston Texans 24 (OT)“

Best NFL Week 15 Performances: You won’t believe the plays by Jerick McKinnon and Rayshawn Jenkins (si.com)

“Week 15 on the NFL schedule is almost in the books (we still have Monday Night Football) and the best performances deserve to be recognized by our MMQB staff. Even if you’re feeling down because your team didn’t win, maybe one of your favorite players or coaches gets awarded a game ball by our staff.”