GREEN BAY – Kenny Clark could feel the energy reverberate throughout Lambeau Field as more than 8,000 fans in attendance shouted and smacked their signs against the metal bleachers.
In that moment, as noise polluted the stadium bowl for practically the first time all season, it was almost like a little bit of diesel that had been missing was reinjected back into the D-Train.
In the end, a Packers defense that's been on the rise over the past two months responded with a statement in the waning moments of Saturday's 32-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
The win didn't come without its moments of adversity, but the defense again succeeded at containing the run (96 yards allowed), eliminating explosive plays (two catches for more than 20 yards) and pressuring the quarterback (a season-high four sacks allowed of Jared Goff).
Afterward, there was no question in the mind of Clark and his fellow defenders where it all began.
"We were talking about that in the locker room. It was great to have the fans back, hitting the signs on the stands and just the noise period," said the fifth-year defensive lineman.
"Their snap count is a huge part of their game and I couldn't hear their snap count."
The Packers knew how critical it was going to be to not only stop rookie running back Cam Akers, but also not allow the Rams to get into an early rhythm. After all, Los Angeles is 37-0 all-time under Sean McVay when leading at halftime.
The Rams went three-and-out on their first possession, with Preston Smith batting a pass at the line of scrimmage on third-and-6, and again came up empty in the second quarter after Za'Darius Smith sacked Goff on second down.
LA still made its share of plays, including a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive before halftime and another lengthy series at the end of the third quarter to cut Green Bay's lead to seven.
Every time the defense needed a response, however, it found one, whether it was Clark and Rashan Gary combining for a sack on a three-and-out in the third quarter or Clark's solo sack of Goff early in the fourth that helped force a much-needed punt.
Fittingly, it was a sum of all the defensive parts that shut the door on the Rams in the final seven minutes of the game with All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander dropping Robert Woods for a 3-yard loss on a receiver screen on second-and-10. According to NFL NextGen stats, that screen pass to Woods was the only time Alexander was the nearest defender on a reception. He was targeted just three times.
After Preston Smith deflected another pass on third down, Gary then sacked Goff after the Rams' quarterback stepped up in the pocket, dropping him for a 4-yard loss to force turnover on downs.
"That's our game. That's what our defense is about," Clark said. "You gotta win. We gotta keep winning first down. When we do that, we get guys in long situations. When we're able to do that, we have guys who are able to rush and get after the quarterback."
Linebacker Krys Barnes exited briefly with a thumb injury but still led the defense with 10 tackles after returning with a cast on his left hand. Other than that, the Packers' defense appears to be as healthy and confident as can be heading into a showdown with either Tampa Bay or New Orleans next Sunday at Lambeau Field.
"We got either a dome team coming in here or a team that plays in 85-degree weather every day coming here," Clark said. "I know everybody's going to be excited to finally have a home game for one of these NFC Championship games. We gotta just give it everything we got. This is the big (one). We gotta get to the Super Bowl."
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A loud Lambeau helps the Packers' D-Train come up big - Packers.com
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