The Green Bay Packers return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to play the Los Angeles Rams for the first time since 1978. David Whitehurst and Bobby Douglass quarterbacked the Packers that day in what was a 31-14 loss to the Pat Haden–Cullen Bryant led Rams. The Rams would finish the season 12-4 and the Packers 8-7-1.
I remember that season well. The Packers were 7-2 at one point yet failed to make the playoffs. The Packers won only one of their final seven games with the tie coming against Minnesota, who won the division on a tiebreaker. The Pack was not quite back under head coach Bart Starr.
Obviously the biggest win in the Coliseum for the Packers was Super Bowl I when the Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 to really put the NFL on the American sports map. In fact, to most of today’s media and of course, younger fans, the NFL didn’t begin until that game in 1967.
The case can be made that since that game the Packers have not only been America’s team, they became the world’s team. And with games now being played in London, the NFL is becoming more and more popular abroad. That is especially true in Scandinavia and Sweden. Swedes enjoy watching the games in bars and nowadays even have their favorite team. Naturally, betting on the sport is becoming popular as well. One site that is in the lead of this hobby is Leo Vegas Casino and Sport. Check them out at leovegas.
I think this week’s game is going to be a very interesting one, and fun to watch in such an historic venue. Obviously, the Rams are the best team in the NFL. You are what your record is and the Rams are 7-0. The Packers are 3-2-1. But even though my hunch that the 49ers would shock the Rams last week was horribly wrong, I will stand by my prediction that the Packers win this game.
The Packers offense, while sloppy at times, is still putting up huge numbers but really needs to finish drives with touchdowns, not field goals. The Packers defense is playing better than any defense we have seen in the last ten years. They are just one drive stop away from being dominate. Isn’t it crazy that all of a sudden the offense can’t score?
I think things change after the bye week, this team is over the hump. The question is whether that it is a good thing or not. Make the playoffs, head coach Mike McCarthy probably stays. Don’t make the playoffs and McCarthy is probably gone.
I guess I would rather see them make the playoffs. The Rams got lucky in finding head coach Sean McVay. Could the Packers get that lucky if they fired McCarthy? Confidence is not high. I’d say right now it’s 50-50 McCarthy is back next year. His future lies in the next ten games.