-- For all of the pandemonium surrounding the trade deadline rumors early Sunday morning, the Green Bay Packers got solid production out of their edge rushers against the Los Angeles Rams.

Most notably Clay Matthews, who finished with a sack for the second consecutive game after having just half of one through the first five games of the year.

Matthews also finished second on the team in tackles (7). It was just the third time he had seven-or-more tackles in a single game since the start of the 2015 season.

The Packers' defense as a whole stood tall against one of the top offenses in the league for a majority of Sunday afternoon. Shortened offensive possessions and a constant series of situations that required the defense -- an exhausted defense, to be specific -- to be out on the field more than they had to be led to their untimely demise.

"I felt like we just showed up," Matthews said after the 29-27 loss. "Obviously, they’ve had the success they’ve had with a lot of smoke and mirrors, good play calling, speed and misdirection."

Matthews' unit didn't do much to contribute to the losing effort but hold up their end of the bargain. They helped limit the Rams to 8-for-18 on third down and average just 5.5 yards per play.

The nail in the coffin was running back and fill-in return specialist Ty Montgomery fumbling a kick return with less than two minutes to go in the game, robbing the Packers' offense of a potentially game-clinching possession.

"It really is a shame, the way in which we dropped that game," Matthews said. "You’d like to think if we see these guys again, but at 3-3-1, we need to start winning these games. We can’t let them go.

"It also shows the type of team we have and what we can be. We just have to capitalize, it’s frustrating. I thought our defense played really well today, we obviously gave up some points but we competed all day long and I thought, for the most part, held them in check."

Outside of the numbers that helped define Matthews' efficiency against the Rams, he was disruptive in getting to Rams quarterback Jared Goff, accounting for two of the Packers' eight "hits" on Goff. He was beating blocks, racing to the sideline and demonstrating speed off the edge that has seemingly proven to be a lost art in Matthews' game in recent years.

These DEFENSES are giving QBs nightmares... #LARams #DUUUVAL #GoPats #HereWeGo #BeRedSeeRed #GoPackGo #Seahawks #DallasCowboys #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/DDtAYUk6Hf

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) October 23, 2018

In 2018, the Packers have been one of the most dynamic pressuring teams in the league under new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. If the Packers do pursue a premium pass rusher to pair with Matthews before the Tuesday trade deadline, there's no reason to think those numbers would do anything but ascend.

For now, that premium pass rusher isn't en route to Green Bay prepared to ink a contract. It's Matthews, Nick Perry, Reggie Gilbert and Kyler Fackrell. The Packers have found success with this group, even against the Rams' veteran center John Sullivan and All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

"That’s the best team in the NFL, and we hung toe-to-toe with them and had a chance at the end to win it. We gotta take that moving forward. I know we lost, but we gotta take that capability and move it forward."