St. Louis Rams vs. Green Bay Packers: What's the Game Plan for Green Bay?

The Green Bay Packers can stretch their perfect start to the season when the St. Louis Rams come to visit Sunday in a matchup of two of the NFC's best teams right now. 

The Packers (4-0), off to their best start since 2011, have won the last three games by double-digits, while the Rams (2-2) are coming off an impressive road victory over the Arizona Cardinals last week. This Week 5 contest pits two of the conference's hottest teams in what could be a playoff preview.

Green Bay, one of six undefeated teams in the league, has won its last 11 games at Lambeau Field—the NFL's best active streak. The team has also won its last four meetings with St. Louis yet trails 44-45-2 in the overall head-to-head matchup. 

Sunday's game should be a good one, with conference bragging rights on the line. Let's look ahead to some offensive and defensive strategies the Packers can employ against the Rams in Week 5. 

Offensive Game Plan

Although Aaron Rodgers has stolen all the headlines this season—and rightfully so—the Packers may need to rely on another of their playmakers this week to control possession and move the ball consistently against St. Louis.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Eddie Lacy has yet to have a 100-yard rushing day and has scored just once in his first three full games. Still, Green Bay's star running back, who's largely taken a backseat in the offense, will have a favorable matchup Sunday when he faces a defense that's allowed 120.3 rushing yards per game—the ninth-most in the league. 

Last week in San Francisco, Lacy ran for a season-high 90 yards on 18 carries—an impressive five yards per rush—against a defense that's been tougher against tailbacks than St. Louis' has this season. 

When you factor in the trouble a few elite pass-rushers might cause the passing game, Lacy could be the Packers' best bet to have successful drives. 

Green Bay's run game stretches beyond their Pro Bowl running back, though. Backup James Starks had a 95-yard day in Lacy's Week 2 absence, while Rodgers has quietly racked up 107 yards scrambling out of the pocket.

As a team, Lacy and Co. have averaged 136.3 rushing yards per game—the third-best mark in the league—setting up an ideal matchup on Sunday, as Gil Brandt of NFL.com points out.

"

Packers: 120+ rush yds in 10 straight games (longest streak in NFL) Rams: allowing 120.3 rush YPG this season (26th) cc: @Lil_Eazy_Ana_42

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) October 9, 2015"

In the end, the Packers might gain the majority of their yards on the ground, but it's unreasonable to expect an Aaron Rodgers-led offensive attack to not make any noise. 

After all, 11 of Green Bay's 13 offensive touchdowns this season have come via the right arm of its quarterback. 

Defensive Game Plan

With the recent emergence of Todd Gurley in the Rams' backfield, the Packers simply must make Nick Foles beat them through the air Sunday.

Foles, a fourth-year quarterback in his first season with St. Louis, hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards in three of his first four games yet has gotten the job done primarily as a game-manager. He's thrown just one pick all year and is coming off a three-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4—a game in which he threw for just 171 yards on 24 attempts. 

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Still, Foles' weapons on offense are nothing to write home about. Outside of slot man Tavon Austin, the two most dangerous pass-catchers in St. Louis are wideout Kenny Britt and tight end Jared Cook—both of whom are as inconsistent as they are threats. 

Fortunately for the Packers, early leads each week this season have made the defense's job easier against the run and forced opposing offenses to take to the air late in games. Ideally, this should be no different against the Rams if they shut down Gurley and the run early. 

Player	Team	Carries	Rushing Yards	TD
Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	24	141	1
Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	15	41	0
Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	11	49	3
Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers	8	20	0

After Gurley's 146-yard outburst last week, he is now the only Rams player with over 100 rushing yards on the season. To put that into perspective, Austin is the second-leading rusher on the team, with 77 total yards through four games.

It remains to be seen if Gurley is for real—a matchup with a top-notch Green Bay rush defense will certainly be the test—and whether Foles can win a game if the running game around him can't get going. 

The Packers will be safe if they force Foles to hurt them. 

Players and Matchups to Watch

OT Bryan Bulaga vs. Rams Defensive Linemen

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

With Bryan Bulaga expected to return to his starting spot at right tackle on Sunday, he'll get tested right away when he lines up across from a trio of defensive linemen who are some of the league's best. Chris Long, Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn have racked up 8.5 sacks among them already for the Rams and anchor a defense that is tied for second in the NFL with 17. 

It'll be interesting to see how Bulaga does in his first game action since tearing the meniscus and spraining the MCL in his left knee in Week 1. The offensive lineman returned to practice early this week despite expectations he could be out another couple weeks. 

When asked this week of the veteran Bulaga, head coach Mike McCarthy seemed optimistic (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): 

"

McCarthy: So far so good with Bulaga. Translation: Sounds like he'll be starting Sunday. Doesn't sound good for Burnett and Adams. #Packers

— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) October 9, 2015"

The sixth-year lineman, who's started 56 career games including 17 of 18 last season, could provide a big boost to the woeful protection that's forced Aaron Rodgers to improvise lately.

Packers Secondary vs. WR Tavon Austin

The speedy Austin is a matchup nightmare for any secondary—especially one that'll be without two of its key members. Starting strong safety Morgan Burnett is expected to sit out his third-straight game with a calf injury, while backup safety Sean Richardson is now out for the year—and potentially longer—with a herniated disk in his neck. 

The Rams have used Austin in a multitude of ways—as a slot receiver, out of the backfield, on reverse runs and as a normal wideout—which could put the Packers in a bind when deciding who should cover the 5'8", 176-pound playmaker.

We'll probably see a mix of starting safeties Micah Hyde and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on Austin, with rookie cornerbacks Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins thrown into the fire. 

TE Richard Rodgers 

With Andrew Quarless sidelined for the next two months, Richard Rodgers saw an increase in playing time last week—and with it came an increase in targets. His five receptions and 45 receiving yards against the 49ers were both season-highs as he caught the lone touchdown pass for the Packers. 

With defenses starting to focus on shutting down Randall Cobb and James Jones in the receiving corps, Rodgers becomes the next-best option for Aaron Rodgers—especially with Davante Adams sitting out, too.

We could see another big receiving day for Green Bay's starting tight end as he becomes a more trusted target in the offense. Packer fans, get used to seeing the Rodgers-Rodgers connection. 

Game Prediction

Both of the Rams' two wins this season have proved they are capable of keeping pace with playoff-caliber teams—heck, they might even be one themselves. They beat the Seahawks in Week 1 at home, then traveled to Arizona and defeated one of the NFC's best squads away. 

Yet, the Packers at Lambeau are a different beast. They've won their last 11 at home and haven't shown any signs of conceding that streak. 

Even with Aaron Rodgers' dominance this season, this game could easily turn into a battle of the respective ground games, with a Lacy-Gurley head-to-head matchup an attractive one. 

Ultimately, this will come down to which team can win a close game in the clutch. It's easily advantage Rodgers and the Packers at home in that category. 

Final Prediction: Packers 23, Rams 20