Close Win over Falcons Gives Packers Defense Late-Season Wake-Up Call

Just as another home blowout appeared to be brewing at Lambeau Field, the visiting Atlanta Falcons instead decided to provide the Green Bay Packers a late-season wake-up call with a humbling rally over the final 30 minutes Monday night. 

The Packers led by a commanding 31-7 half-time margin but still needed to hold on late, as the Falcons scored 30 second-half points before Green Bay was finally able to run out the remaining clock. The eventual 43-37 win improved the Packers' record to 10-3 and kept Green Bay in possession of the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Yet a week after taking one step forward against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the Packers defense clearly took at least one step back against the Falcons. 

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns and receiver Julio Jones caught 11 passes for a career-high 259 yards. The Falcons finished with 465 total yards and 26 first downs. Most of the damage came in the second half, as the Falcons scored on five straight possessions—including three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

"Got to give Atlanta's offense a lot of credit," head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. "Our communication wasn't what it needed to be. We have plenty to clean up."

Five straight scoring drives from Green Bay in the first half set up the potential for another blowout at Lambeau Field. Running backs James Starks and Eddie Lacy both rushed for early scores and quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two second-quarter touchdowns to give Green Bay a 24-point cushion going into the locker room. It was the fifth time this season the Packers held at least a 20-point home lead at half time. 

But the Falcons didn't just roll over and give up like the others—Minnesota, Carolina, Chicago and Philadelphia—at Lambeau Field. 

Jones set up a touchdown with a 79-yard catch and run on the first possession of the second half, and he pulled the Falcons within 10 points early in the fourth quarter with a 22-yard score. Rodgers threw a 60-yard touchdown to Jordy Nelson to help stop the bleeding, but Ryan responded with scores to Roddy White and Harry Douglas late to make the final minutes interesting. 

	GB	ATL
Points	43	37
Yards	502	465
Yards/Play	7.5	7.3
First Downs	28	26
Red Zone (TDs)	4/6	5/5
Passing Yards	323	374
Scoring Drives	8	6
Turnovers	0	1

Green Bay eventually recovered Atlanta's onside kick and then picked up two late first downs to ensure no nervy finale for the defense. Still, the Falcons did a number on any trust the Packers' defense had previously built. 

Ryan's 375 passing yards represented the fourth most of his career and his second highest total of 2014. He also threw four touchdown passes for just the fourth time in his career.

Jones' 259 receiving yards were the 18th most for a single game in NFL history. He set a new season high for receiving yards in the NFL and a new record for receiving yards allowed to a single player in Packers history. 

"The big plays," McCarthy said, when asked about the biggest issues on defense. "They hit us on a couple double moves. Our boundary communication was poor. Our substitution patterns were poor in the second half."

The Packers defense was never dominant a week ago against the Patriots but constant pressure on Brady and a late stop of the New England offense provided clear signs of progress. A championship-caliber defense didn't look far off into the distance. 

While Green Bay picked off Ryan and held the Falcons to just seven first-half points, more progress was difficult to unearth from Monday night's performance. 

The Packers had no answer and no adjustment for Jones, who caught passes of 79, 30, 25, 22, 19 (twice) and 18 (twice) yards. On his 79-yard completion, Jones burnt cornerback Tramon Williams with a double move and then juked past safety Morgan Burnett. Meanwhile, cornerback Sam Shields—who went through concussion protocol during the week—mostly struggled to stay in front of Atlanta's fast and powerful former first-round pick. Jones nearly beat Shields for a 32-yard score in the third quarter, but he failed to get a second foot in-bounds.

The final result might have been a perfect storm, with a hot receiver (Jones had 189 yards against the Arizona Cardinals last week) going head-to-head with a rusty cornerback. But there should still be concern, as the Packers face the likes of Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate over the final three games of the season. A receiver such as Johnson, who the Packers will see in a Week 17 finale, should now be licking his chops for a chance to face the Green Bay defense. 

Likely more concerning was the Packers' inability to pressure or rattle Ryan, who chewed up the Green Bay secondary for chunk gain after chunk gain. He finished with over 350 passing yards and four passing scores for the first time in his NFL career. 

Ryan took just one sack. 

"Matt got hot," Rodgers told reporters.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The best NFL quarterbacks give every defense problems, especially against inconsistent pressure. Jones will cause headaches for every defensive coordinator down the stretch. But Green Bay will undoubtedly need to be better on that side of the football if the Packers want to get back to the Super Bowl.

There's no excuse for only four quarterback hits on Ryan and the individual dominance of Jones. 

Kyle Orton and Josh McCown are up next for the Packers' defense, so there is time to rebuild some confidence before the Week 17 showdown with Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. 

First, the Packers need to figure out why the progress made against Brady and the Patriots was unable to carry over against Ryan, Jones and the Falcons Monday night. 

The first 30 minutes was business as usual for Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Maybe the final 30 minutes provided the wake-up call the Packers needed to sharpen the focus over the final three games of the season. 

*All quotes taken from live post-game press conferences. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2