Packers vs. Falcons: Full Report Card Grades for Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers had won eight games in a row, but the run of the table came to an end on Sunday night, as they fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 44-21. 

This game was billed as a shootout between Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Atlanta's Matt Ryan, but the Packers couldn't keep up their end of the bargain.

Green Bay didn't get on the board until the third quarter, which all but doomed its chances of coming out on top. And if the slow start to the scoring didn't spell disaster for the Packers, fullback Aaron Ripkowski's lost fumble, Rodgers' interception, the poor defensive performance and the additional injuries the Packers suffered surely did. 

Let's take a look at each position unit and, for the final time this season, assign grades based on performance. It wasn't the ending we hoped to see for this up-and-down Packers season, but the team still got farther than most expected it to back when it was 4-6.

Quarterback

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Rodgers indicated in the days leading up to the NFC Championship Game that he had come down with the virus that was making its way around the Packers locker room, and it's hard to know if that's why the veteran QB looked off on Sunday. 

To be clear, Rodgers got little help, from the fact that his receivers dropped a whopping five passes to losing starting offensive linemen T.J. Lang (foot) and Bryan Bulaga (concussion).

But the quarterback still looked off, completing 60 percent of his passes, including many incredibly low balls and throwing an interception for the first time since the winning streak began. 

Still, of all the places to point the finger in this game, Rodgers is one of the last places to look. On the drive in the second quarter on which Ripkowski fumbled the ball, Rodgers had led the Packers down the field to the Falcons 23-yard line.

The Davante Adams touchdown drive was composed of 12 plays, including nine passing attempts, on which Rodgers went 6-of-9 for 61 yards and the touchdown. Rodgers followed that up by orchestrating another scoring drive ending in Jordy Nelson's touchdown on the next series. Unfortunately, the Packers were down 37-15 at that point. Even Rodgers couldn't overcome the deficiencies of Green Bay's defense. 

Grade: B-

Running Back

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Given that they trailed by multiple scores for most of the game, the Packers didn't try to do much on the ground against the Falcons. 

However, what they did do wasn't pretty. 

Rodgers was the team's leading rusher with 46 yards on four carries. Ty Montgomery carried the ball three time for 17 yards before heading to the locker room with an injury to his ribs. 

Christine Michael was largely ineffective, averaging fewer than two yards per carry as he ran horizontally more than down the field. But the kicker for the running backs was fullback Ripkowski, who got hopes soaring with a 12-yard rumble down the field before he fumbled the football. It was recovered by Jalen Collins, and the game got out of hand quickly from that point. 

Grade: D

Wide Receiver and Tight End

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The emotional center of the Packers on Sunday was Nelson, whom many were shocked to learn would play against the Falcons—wearing a Kevlar vest, no less, according to the Fox broadcast—as he heals from breaking several ribs. 

Green Bay may not have been able to get it done, but Nelson did his part, gritting his teeth to 67 yards on six receptions and a touchdown. 

The Packers also had Adams and Geronimo Allison available Sunday, even though they too appeared on the injury report heading in to the game.

Adams and tight end Jared Cook joined Nelson with a touchdown, but the receivers also struggled with a noticeable uptick in drops. Cook himself had two within three plays and only connected with Rodgers seven times on 12 targets. 

Allison, Adams and Nelson may have been active, but it was clear they were far less than 100 percent. That ultimately hindered the Packers offense enough to render it unable to keep up with Atlanta. 

Grade: C

Offensive Line

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The first problem with Green Bay's offensive line play on Sunday is that the team kept losing its starters. 

Both Lang (foot) and Bulaga (concussion) left the game with injuries, and Lane Taylor suffered a knee injury.

Rodgers was only sacked twice, but that doesn't fully illustrate the duress he was under throughout the game. The pass protection was sorely lacking early in the game when the Packers couldn't get anything going, and Falcons defenders got seven hits on Rodgers. 

The line wasn't asked to do much in the way of run blocking, given that the Packers attempted only 17 carries. 

All you need to know about the Packers offensive line can be summed up by one fact: By the final series, defensive tackle Letroy Guion was in at right guard for the Packers (protecting Brett Hundley). What a way to end this season. 

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Mike Daniels got two hits on Falcons passer Ryan, but on the whole, the Packers defense didn't register a single sack on the QB. Daniels was by far the Packers' best defender, with three stops, the two hits and a hurry. 

However, the rest of his linemates weren't up to the task on Sunday. 

Ryan simply wasn't pressured enough, whether by the defensive line or the linebackers. 

Guion, before moving to right guard, had a tackle for loss, but he was the only other lineman to do something that registered on the stat sheet. Overall, the Packers defensive line was outmatched by Atlanta's offensive line. 

Grade: D

Linebacker

David Goldman/Associated Press

The linebackers deserve more blame than the defensive linemen for failing to sack Matt Ryan even once.

Clay Matthews did have three hits on Ryan, and Datone Jones added another, but it wasn't enough to stop him from putting up 392 passing yards and four touchdowns. 

For the inside linebackers, Jake Ryan had an opportunity to change the game and didn't, dragging the unit's grade way down. He failed to recover a fumble when the score was still within reach. Sure, Jake Ryan has already been asked to do a lot this season, including dropping deep into coverage to cover receivers on the regular. But taking advantage of these kinds of opportunities are what separates championship teams from merely good ones. 

Later, Jake Ryan was lost with a shoulder injury. 

Nick Perry and Blake Martinez recorded tackles for loss. In what could have been his last game as a Packer, Julius Peppers didn't do much of note. It was a disappointing showing for a linebacker group with so much talent. 

Grade: D-

Secondary

David Goldman/Associated Press

Another game, another spate of injuries in the secondary for the Packers. 

Perhaps the biggest blow was the loss of defensive back Micah Hyde with a shoulder injury, who has been a valuable chess piece for the Packers this season, playing every position in the secondary.

Kentrell Brice also exited the game.

LaDarius Gunter drew the unenviable task of matching up against Julio Jones, who went off for 180 yards and two touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, Ryan had a 156.3 passer rating when throwing into Gunter's coverage. 

Gunter missed an opportunity for an interception one play before he gave up a crucial touchdown to Jones.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had a big knockdown of a pass intended for Jones and another pass defensed. However, no one in Green Bay's secondary had an answer for Ryan and his weapons.

Grade: D 

Special Teams

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Three points from Mason Crosby's leg were not going to come close to making a difference in this game, but as so many things went wrong for the Packers on Sunday, Crosby breaking his NFL record streak of 23 straight successful postseason field-goal attempts was yet another. 

Crosby missed on a 41-yard attempt on the Packers' first drive that would have gotten them on the board before the second half, when they actually scored their first points. 

Punter Jacob Schum averaged a nice 54-yard average on two punting attempts, but he didn't pin anything inside the Falcons 20-yard line. 

Grade: D

Coaching

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Where does the Packers front office go from here?

Head coach Mike McCarthy appeared to have dispelled any whispers that his time in Green Bay might be coming to an end when the team was 4-6, helping lead them on an eight-game winning streak to advance to the NFC Championship Game. 

McCarthy didn't seem to have prepared a game plan that would have allowed his team to successfully outscore Ryan and the high-powered Falcons offense, though he was uniquely hampered by injuries this season. 

However, the big question is what will happen moving forward with defensive coordinator Dom Capers. The Packers defense was woefully unable to do anything in the way of containing the Falcons.

It's hard to know what Green Bay's performance would have looked like had it had all its preferred starters available, but the Packers scheme left Falcons receivers with a five-yard cushion constantly and couldn't get off the field on third down. 

The only reason this grade isn't worse is due to the deluge of injuries. 

Grade: C-

Final Grades

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Quarterback	B-
Running Back	D
Wide Receiver and Tight End	C
Offensive Line	C-
Defensive Line	D
Linebacker	D-
Secondary	D
Special Teams	D
Coaching	C-
Final Grade	D