LOS ANGELES — Aaron Rodgers is a major figure in Jared

Goff’s earliest football memories.While Goff was a little kid growing up in Marin County https://www.thepackersfanshop.com , his father took him to games at Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium, where he watched Rodgers’ collegiate brilliance for California.More Packers coverage from FOX Sports WisconsinPhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryThat kid also got one of his first lessons in professional sports heartbreak when his favorite NFL team — the San Francisco 49ers — used the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft on Alex Smith instead of Rodgers.“Yeah, 10-year-old Jared was very upset when he found out they didn’t take Aaron,” Goff said.Once he grew up and filled out, Goff followed Rodgers’ path to Berkeley. And 3½ years after Goff became the No. 1 pick that Rodgers never was, they’ll face each other for the first time when Goff’s unbeaten Los Angeles Rams (7-0) host Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers (3-2-1) on Sunday.A significant NFC showdown between the NFL’s last unbeaten team and a perennial power is also a meeting of a rising quarterback star and one of his heroes, still in his prime. Both Golden Bears are excited by the opportunity.“I’ve followed his whole career,” Goff said. “Big fan of his. There are times where we’re watching him play against the defense (the Rams are supposed to be scouting), and you get stuck on watching him. He’s a great player. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, and it’ll be fun to get a chance to go against him.”The feeling is mutual for the 34-year-old Rodgers as he leads the Packers back to the venerable Coliseum, where their storied franchise won the first Super Bowl in 1967.“I’ve gotten to know Jared a little bit over the last couple years, and being a Cal guy, obviously I’m pulling for him,” Rodgers said.“And he’s played really well. They’ve put a lot on his plate with (checkdowns) and stuff at the line of scrimmage, and he does a good job with that. He’s an accurate passer. He’s making good throws. He’s got some weapons to throw to, but he’s been extremely accurate and efficient with the ball. That’s what you need with the quarterback.”Rodgers already has his own Coliseum memories: He tied an NCAA record by completing his first 23 passes for Cal against USC in their famous meeting in 2004, but the Trojans hung on for a 23-17 victory.More things to watch in the Packers’ first appearance at the Coliseum since before the NFL left LA in 1994:11<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Packers post-bye week breakdownLONG ODDSThe Packers are coming off their bye week, but they opened as 8½-point underdogs for this matchup against the powerhouse Rams, who are 18-5 in the regular season since coach Sean McVay took over.That’s the biggest betting disadvantage of Rodgers’ career as Green Bay’s starter, but nobody doubts Rodgers’ ability to overcome it — including the Rams.“He’s got the ball placement, he’s got the arm, he’s got the competitive (attitude), he’s got the heart,” said Rams cornerback Marcus Peters, who also grew up in the Bay Area watching Rodgers at Cal. “Every time (Rodgers is) on that field for the Packers, they’ve got a good chance to win it.”START ME UPThe Rams are off to their first 7-0 start since 1985. The franchise hasn’t started 8-0 since 1969, when NFL MVP Roman Gabriel led Los Angeles to an 11-0 start followed by four straight losses.CLAY’S HOMECOMINGPackers linebacker Clay Matthews grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs, and he walked on at USC before becoming a star and a first-round NFL pick in 2009. He is playing at the venerable Coliseum for the first time since college.So is Nick Perry, who played at USC from 2009-11. “It’ll be cool to go back out there, obviously,” Matthews said. “It will be different being in the opposing locker room.”7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Packers vs. 49ersBenny Sieu | USA TODAY SportsGURLEY’S GAMEGoff aside, Green Bay’s defense must figure out how to slow running back Todd Gurley, who is putting up even more impressive numbers than he managed as the AP’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. Gurley leads the league with 88 points, 686 yards rushing, 144 carries and 956 yards from scrimmage. The Packers’ run defense is ranked 22nd in the league, giving up a hefty 4.5 yards per carry.SHIELDS SIGHTINGCornerback Sam Shields made the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010, and he was a steady defensive contributor until he incurred his fourth concussion in the 2016 season opener.After nearly two years out of football, he joined the Rams this season . Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams says he consulted with Shields regularly about his health during his absence.“At one point I was on the bandwagon with him, like, ‘Man, you need to call it quits,'” Williams said. “And on the other side, after he had some time off, his mind is cleared and he’s back mentally ready to go.”10<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:PHOTOS: Packers vs. 49ers—PACKERS-RAMS CAPSULESunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, FoxOPENING LINE — Rams by 8 1/2RECORD VS. SPREAD — Green Bay 2-4-0, Los Angeles 4-2-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 46-46-2LAST MEETING — Packers beat Rams, 24-10, Oct. 11, 2015LAST WEEK — Packers had bye, beat 49ers 33-30 on Oct. 15; Rams beat 49ers, 39-10AP PRO32 RANKING — Packers No. 11, Rams No. 1PACKERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (4) Green Bay Packers Customized Jerseys , RUSH (20), PASS (4).PACKERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (22), PASS (5).RAMS OFFENSE — OVERALL (2), RUSH (1), PASS (8).RAMS DEFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (12), PASS (9).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – California Cheeseheads will be out in force when Packers visit Los Angeles for first time since NFL returned in 2016. … Both teams beat San Francisco in last outing, but Packers coming off bye week. … Two big-time offenses meeting at Coliseum. Both in NFL’s top four in total yards. Rams have league’s most prolific rushing game (153.1 yards per game). Packers have No. 4 passing game (317.3 yards per game). … Pack has won five straight, 12 of 16 over Rams. Coach Mike McCarthy is 5-1 vs. Rams. … Packers CB Ha Ha Clinton-Dix shares NFL lead with three interceptions. He won national title at Alabama with Rams LB Mark Barron. … Green Bay opened as biggest underdog of QB Aaron Rodgers’ career, according to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. … Rodgers is rolling again, with 332.8 yards passing per game and 12 TDs, 1 INT. … Packers LB Clay Matthews makes first pro appearance in his native LA area and at Coliseum, where former USC walk-on became standout for four Pac-12 championship teams. … Rams gunning for franchise’s first 8-0 start since 1969, when LA started club-record 11-0. … Rams already have 3 1/2-game lead over Seattle in NFC West. With Dodgers in mind, Rams’ magic number to clinch division title is seven. … Rams’ first game at Coliseum in 31 days. After Nov. 11 home date with Seattle, they’ll go another 35 days without Coliseum game. … Rams CB Sam Shields spent seven seasons with Packers, winning Super Bowl ring and making Pro Bowl. Concussions kept him out of football in 2017, but he is valuable backup and special-teamer for LA this season. … RB Todd Gurley leads NFL with 88 points, 686 yards rushing, 144 carries and 956 yards from scrimmage. … DE Aaron Donald co-leads NFL with eight sacks after destructive effort against Niners with four sacks, six tackles for loss. … WR Cooper Kupp seems likely to miss second straight game with knee injury. Replacements Josh Reynolds, Nick Williams combined for three catches last week at San Francisco while Rams dominated on ground. … Fantasy tip: Packers TE Jimmy Graham could be big target for Rodgers, who will test LA’s linebackers and secondary while getting rid of ball before Donald and Ndamukong Suh get to him. In 2019, third year cornerback Kevin King has now equaled his career-high in games played. He suited up nine times for the Green Bay Packers as a rookie in 2017 and just six last season, but he has been active for every one of the team’s nine contests in 2019. However, on Sunday he appeared to be limited throughout the Packers’ 26-11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and he played just over a quarter of the team’s defensive snaps.This surely was not the plan for coordinator Mike Pettine. King has been a starter all season long, and he has largely played well — and has made three critical fourth-quarter interceptions to boot. But in this game, he was frequently spotted on the sideline, and he said after the game that he was being kept on a snap count.As a result, Tramon Williams played almost every snap on defense, while a pair of other young corners got some significant playing time to spell King. This could have been a game for Josh Jackson to get some run, but he ended up being a healthy scratch in favor of Tony Brown and Chandon Sullivan. Whatever King’s issue is, hopefully he can find a way to be back to full strength next week when the Packers host the Carolina Panthers.Meanwhile, Davante Adams returned for Green Bay and led the team’s wideouts in snaps, a bit of a surprise with him coming off a turf toe injury. Adams had a light day in terms of his production, but that may have been due to the offense as a whole failing to ever get clicking.Here’s how the playing time broke down.OFFENSE (54 total plays)QuarterbackAaron Rodgers 54With the Packers running just 18 plays in the first half and two of them ending in sacks, Rodgers never got into a rhythm early. He completed six of nine passes for just 35 yards before the break, eventually finishing the game 23-for-35 for 161 yards and a touchdown.Running BacksAaron Jones 32, Jamaal Williams 24, Danny Vitale 4By the time the Packers received the opening kickoff of the second half, they had just three first downs and were down 9-0. Another three-and-out on the first drive meant that there was practically no running game to speak of, and Jones had his least productive day overall on the season. He ran the ball eight times for 30 yards and caught just one of four targets for a loss of a yard.Williams was the more effective receiver of the two backs on Sunday, catching all six of his targets for 39 yards and the Packers’ only touchdown. He added just two carries for 10 yards.Wide ReceiversDavante Adams 45, Marquez Valdes-Scantling 37, Geronimo Allison 35, Allen Lazard 25, Jake Kumerow 13MVS and Allison continue to disappoint given their significant playing time, and it’s fair to start wondering if Lazard should be earning more snaps as a #2 or #3. MVS was shut out on two targets, while Allison caught two balls for 21 yards. Meanwhile, Lazard hauled in three of four targets for 44 yards and looks like one of the team’s more consistent players at the position.Adams made his return and Rodgers clearly tried to feed him the ball. However, his explosiveness does not appear to be all the way back to normal, as his seven receptions (on 11 targets) went for just 41 yards.Tight EndsJimmy Graham 35 Green Bay Packers T-Shirts , Marcedes Lewis 19, Jace Sternberger 1Graham’s average was abysmal in this game, as he brought in four passes for just 17 yards. He and Lewis were called upon to chip frequently, particularly in the second half, as the Chargers consistently got pressure with just four pass-rushers.Offensive LinemenDavid Bakhtiari 71, Elgton Jenkins 71, Corey Linsley 71, Billy Turner 71, Bryan Bulaga 71Speaking of the pass rush, the Chargers had their way with the Packers’ line. Rodgers was hit seven times officially, including three sacks, as Bakh, Bulaga, and Turner each gave up one.DEFENSE (71 total plays)Defensive LinemenKenny Clark 55, Dean Lowry 41, Tyler Lancaster 29, Montravius Adams 24, Kingsley Keke 11Is Clark’s heavy workload starting to show? He had four tackles and a hit on Philip Rivers in this game, but is seemingly being pushed around more easily than in years past. Lancaster received credit for a half-sack as he pushed the pocket from the middle and met Za’Darius Smith at the quarterback. Adams and Keke flashed at times, but did not significantly affect the game.Outside LinebackersZa’Darius Smith 59, Preston Smith 59, Kyler Fackrell 24, Rashan Gary 18The Smiths helped the Packers make some big red zone stops early on. Za’Darius finished with a half-sack, eight tackles, and two hits on Rivers, while Preston had seven tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Fackrell had a QB hit as well, but looks most comfortable as an off-ball linebacker in space. Gary had some nice reps, finishing with two tackles including one where he set a tremendous edge on a run play.Inside LinebackersBlake Martinez 70, B.J. Goodson 13, Oren Burks 8Martinez missed one snap after being shaken up a bit, but was back out there on the next play for the remainder of the game. However, his limitations are becoming obvious, as opposing offenses continue to target him in the passing game. He also is having trouble getting off blocks and getting to the line of scrimmage cleanly, and most of his 12 tackles in this game came a few yards down the field.Goodson and Burks each rotated in a bit, but the Packers continue rolling with a safety at the other linebacker spot or in more of a 3-3-5 nickel alignment.SafetiesAdrian Amos 71, Darnell Savage 71, Will Redmond 22That safety most often was Redmond, who played a bit and recorded one tackle. Amos and Savage had seven and six tackles respectively, but neither had a single play on the football.CornerbacksTramon Williams 69, Jaire Alexander 68, Chandon Sullivan 36, Kevin King 20, Tony Brown 19Here is where things got particularly interesting on defense. King jumped on and off the field sporadically on Sunday, seemingly dealing with some sort of injury that left him limited to bursts of a few plays at a time. That left Williams and Brown to take the majority of the boundary corner snaps between them, while Sullivan came on as a primary slot corner when the team went to five or six defensive backs. The Packers failed to record a single pass defense, however, with the only play that was remotely close being a leaping interception attempt that Alexander could not haul in.SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERSOren Burks 25, Ty Summers 25, Tremon Smith 20, Tony Brown 18, Will Redmond 17, Allen Lazard 16