The final score screamed "rout." The final stats shouted "closer than it looked" and "closer than it should have been."

When Green Bay finally closed out a 36-17 victory over St. Louis Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome, few members of Packer Nation felt like screaming or shouting.

Everybody just wants to fast-forward to Monday night.

That's when the Packers and their fans will experience the first of two episodes of Favre-a-palooza.

Minnesota, led by ageless quarterback Brett Favre, outlasted San Francisco in a thriller on Sunday and will bring a 3-0 record into the showdown at the Metrodome.

The hype surrounding that matchup, which has been circled on the calendar since Favre first put on a pair of purple shorts at training camp, will far supersede the analysis of what happened between the Packers and Rams.

That's not such a bad thing.

The Packers, coming off an embarrassing home loss to Cincinnati, were faced with what amounted to a no-win situation. Though a loss would have been cataclysmic and devastating, a victory was expected because, well, the Rams stink.

The Packers took care of business on Sunday. They played with more discipline, emotion and efficiency.

But, the Rams stink.

Seriously.

The Rams have lost all three of their games season and 30 of the last 35 overall. First-year coach Steve Spagnuolo may point to this game as a learning experience during the rebuilding process. But, that's going to be a long process.

Here are some observations from the day:

Welcome back: Shut out against Cincinnati, Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings caught two passes on Sunday. Of course, it helped that they went for 50 and 53 yards.

On the run: Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers made things happen with his feet, scrambling out of trouble on a number of occasions and punctuating a rushing touchdown with a spirited spike.

Home, sweet dome: On TV, it seemed as though there were plenty of Packers fans in the audience. The atmosphere will be much more hostile on Monday night.

Sack exchange: Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman's first sack in his new position was memorable. Kampman cruised past right tackle Adam Goldberg, a backup, and smacked quarterback Marc Bulger just as he was about to deliver a throw. The ball popped out and into the arms of Johnny Jolly. In the scramble for the ball, Bulger was knocked on his right shoulder and forced out of the game.

Blemishes: The Packers scored on all five of their possessions in the first half, but squandered great field position en route to a pair of field goals. The defense allowed an 80-yard drive and touchdown in the final 2 minutes of the first half. And, perhaps worst, kicker Mason Crosby missed an extra point, which was considered impossible.

Ageless wonder: Favre will get most of the headlines this week, but his former teammate Donald Driver continues to defy old age. Driver made an incredible one-handed catch in the second quarter. His 41-yard gain set up a touchdown.

Bushed: Another week, another penalty for Jarret Bush. Bush, who was whistled for offsides twice last week, got flagged for holding this time.

Notebook: Rookie defensive tackle B.J. Raji played his first pro game an was in for about 10 or 12 plays. He didn't have a huge impact.... Newly-signed safety Matt Giordano saw action on special teams.... The Packers had a five-linebacker set for part of the game. Look for that to happen in the Vikings game.... Rodgers was sacked twice in the first half and that was all. He was on his back 10 times in the first two weeks.