5 things to watch in the Green Bay Packers' Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams

The passing attack should have good running and passing options

Although they won't have receiver Christian Watson and possibly tight end Luke Musgrave, the Packers will want to stress the Rams' secondary. The Rams rank last in passing yards allowed per game and 21st in passing yards allowed per game. They hope to get cornerback Darious Williams back from a hamstring injury, but if not, they will be without three safeties. The Rams took coverage penalties, primarily from their starters, and allowed opposing teams to complete 72.6% of their passes. They are missing future Hall of Fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who retired after last season, and linebacker Ernest Jones, who was transferred to Tennessee. They are tied for fourth with fewest sacks and are tied with the Packers and Houston for third-most passing touchdowns allowed (eight). They only have one interception. As for run defense, they allow teams 5.0 yards per carry and have given up five runs of 20 or more yards, tied for the third-most in the NFL. If there's one game where the Packers' offense turns heads, it's this one.

Sean McVay will defeat Matt LaFleur after four straight losses

The Packers will play the Rams in their stadium for the first time since Matt LaFleur became coach in 2019. LaFleur beat one of his mentors, Sean McVay, all four times and won by an average margin of 13 points per game. All meetings took place in November or later, which is not ideal for a warm weather team. LaFleur first worked with McVay in Washington when they were on Mike Shanahan's staff and reunited when McVay hired LaFleur as his offensive coordinator in 2017. “Sean is like a brother to me,” LaFleur said. Speaking of brothers, LaFleur's younger brother Mike is McVay's offensive coordinator. The novelty of having to compete against those close to him has worn off for LaFleur, but the offseason bragging rights are on the line. “To be honest, I don’t even really think about it,” LaFleur said of connections. “I mean, it’s just the next game. And you know, this league, I think the longer you're in it, the smaller it gets because you get to know everyone. And so inevitably you’re going to be competing against someone you really care about, usually every week.”

This story has been updated to add more information.