Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) celebrates after sacking St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford during the second half Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Green Bay defeated St. Louis 30-20. (US Presswire)

In their third straight road game, the Packers beat the Rams, 30-20, for their second consecutive victory. It was the first time this season they’ve managed back-to-back wins and the team now returns to Green Bay and finally has a winning record (4-3) in 2012.

It seems safe to say that after its sluggish early start, the offense is back to its record-shattering ways of 2011. The defense, though far from a top unit, continues to improve. Special teams, as has been the case all season, were again first-rate, and the coaching staff pulled the right strings.

Offense: A-

After two straight weeks of peerless play, it appears QB Aaron Rodgers has regained his MVP form. On Sunday, he completed 30 of 37 passes (81.1 percent, his highest regular-season percentage since 2008) for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 132.2. In the past two games, he’s completed 54 of 74 passes (73.0 percent) for 680 yards with nine TDs, no INTs and a 140.8 passer rating. His top three receivers – Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Randall Cobb – caught 22 balls for 264 yards and three touchdowns, without Greg Jennings for the third straight game. Rodgers-to-Nelson is again one of the league’s top deep-play duos, and Cobb has emerged as a legitimately dangerous weapon on offense. The offensive line was just alright, allowing three sacks in the first quarter before settling down. LT Marshall Newhouse allowed one sack, two quarterback hits and three hurries, and he also had a holding penalty. RB Alex Green averaged a piddling 1.8 yards on 20 carries, but he provided the crucial offensive balance. TE Jermichael Finley caught the only two balls thrown to him, for 31 yards, on the same second-quarter drive. Previous game's grade: A

Defense: B

Against a Rams offense with Steven Jackson and not much else, the Packers let Jackson and seventh-round rookie RB Daryl Richardson pound away for 78 yards on 14 carries in the first half (5.6-yard average). In the second half, St. Louis was forced to throw more to catch up and Green Bay looked much better. They sacked QB Sam Bradford three times, all three by their outside linebackers, including Clay Matthews’ ninth of the season. And rookie CB Casey Hayward, in his first career start, picked off an underthrown Bradford pass for his fourth interception in the last three games. After the Rams dominated time of possession in the first half, the Packers flipped the script in the second half, allowing the Rams only five possessions, two of which resulted in turnovers. St. Louis gained 354 total yards but only scored two touchdowns, one of which came in the final 15 seconds and was meaningless. Previous game’s grade: A

Special Teams: A-

This is a group that seems to pull off some gutsy, unexpected play every week that turns heads and turns the game. This week, it was an onside kick in the first quarter, immediately after the Packers scored to go ahead 7-3. K Mason Crosby struck the ball flawlessly, special teams ace Jarrett Bush took out the closest covering Rams player and Jamari Lattimore recovered. The Packers got a field goal on the extra possession to go up 10-3. And, as per usual, the standard specialists were again first-rate. Cobb took his only kick return back 23 yards and his only punt return 15. There are some questions about whether to take the dynamic Cobb off return duty because of his potential on offense, but the Packers don’t have anyone better behind him who isn’t also a major contributor. Crosby made three of his four field goal attempts, including a 48-yarder, missing only from 58 at the end of the first half. And P Tim Masthay didn’t give the Rams a chance to return even one of his three punts (38.7 average). Previous game’s grade: B

Coaching: B+

Coach Mike McCarthy, the offensive play-caller, pushed the right buttons for the second week in a row. Even though Green was unproductive on the ground, McCarthy stuck with the run game, which kept the Rams honest and allowed Rodgers to throw against less unfavorable coverages. McCarthy also used Cobb out of the backfield in the Packers’ “Cobra” package, and Cobb ran for 19 yards. McCarthy and special teams coach Shawn Slocum get credit for the onside kick call; the timing and execution were perfect, indicating a well-practiced play. The Packers coaches’ grade gets docked a little because the offense went three-and-out on its first drive, which is always a scripted series. But more vexing was defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ decision to go into a soft zone early in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Rams to march down the field for an easy touchdown that cut the Packers’ lead to 20-13. Green Bay may have been up two scores at the time, but that’s when the defense needs to play aggressive and really step on the opponents’ neck, not get passive and let them score. Previous game’s grade: A-

Follow Packers reporter James Carlton on Twitter: @CBSPackers and @jimmycarlton88.