Packers vs. Falcons: 5 Observations From Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan Clash
It may only be November 28th, but the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons played a back-and-forth, playoff-style football game in the Georgia Dome Sunday.
The Falcons were able to edge the Packers 20-17 on a late field goal, but you get the feeling this may not be the only time these two teams face off this season.
The loss drops the Packers to 7-4, snapping their four game winning streak in the process. On the other hand, Atlanta improves to 9-2 and is in the driver's seat for home field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Might the Packers get a chance at revenge in those very playoffs? Only time will tell, but chances are they're going to have to do it in the Georgia Dome now.
Aaron Rodgers Is Clutch...
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Did anyone else get an uneasy feeling when the Packers got the ball back with just over six minutes left?
Down seven points, you knew that Aaron Rodgers had a tough task driving the Packers 90 yards to tie the game. And you could just picture all the criticism that Rodgers was going to get if he didn't lead the tying drive.
But against the odds, Rodgers did in fact drive the Packers the 90 yards they needed. He twice converted on fourth down, including a ten-yard laser beam to Jordy Nelson to even the score at 17 with 59 seconds remaining.
In one of the hardest places to play in the NFL, and against one of the NFC's best teams, that's saying something. To be quite honest, it was one of Rodgers' most clutch drives of his entire career.
But like so many times before, Rodgers' comeback drive was negated by defensive and special teams break downs. Rodgers proved he's clutch, and there's no question he's been terribly unlucky.
But The Special Teams Are Not
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The Falcons started their final drive with only 56 seconds left, but that was plenty of time to set up the winning field goal after two inexcusable mistakes from Shawn Slocum's unit on the Packers' last kickoff.
First of all, the Packers allowed the Falcons' kick returner Eric Weems to bring the kick back to the 36-yard line. That's bad enough considering all the Packers needed to do was bring Weems down somewhere near the Falcons' 20-yard line and they probably hold the ball for overtime.
Adding insult to injury, however, was Packers' special teamer Matt Wilhem. I get that football is a fast game, and sometimes you're just trying to get a guy down. But to so clearly tug on an opponents' facemask in a situation like that is such a complete lapse in judgment that Wilhem's spot on the active roster next week should most definitely be in question.
That 15-yard penalty put Atlanta on the 49-yard line, and they only needed 20 yards to set up Matt Bryant's 47-yard field goal.
What a terrible way to lose a football game.
Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan Will Be Fun To Watch For a Long Time
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One thing we can take out of this game: Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan are going to be dueling for NFC supremacy for the foreseeable future.
Rodgers (26 years old) and Ryan (25) were both terrific Sunday, and they both look like they are on the cusp of being included in the NFL's elite quarterbacks.
Rodgers finished 25-of-34 for 344 yards and a touchdown (114.5 rating), and Ryan countered him with a stellar performance of his own: 24-of-28 for 198 yards and a touchdown (108.0).
But even when Rodgers and the Packers' offense impressively drove down the field to tie the game, "Matty Ice" and his offense took the Falcons the necessary yardage to set up Bryant's late field goal to win the game.
Ryan is now 2-0 against Rodgers and the Packers, but I'd hypothesize that this second chapter in their saga won't be their last. Get used to this matchup, because these two young quarterbacks will be battling it out in the NFC for a long time.
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The Running Game Took Huge Steps Backwards
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If you took away Rodgers' 51 yards on the ground, the Packers would have racked up an anemic 26 yards rushing Sunday. Either way, their 77 total rushing yards is not good enough to win most games.
I'll be the first to admit that I thought the Packers running game was improving every week, but it was clear Sunday that they took a huge step backwards with their performance.
Brandon Jackson was terribly ineffective, rushing for Green Bay's remaining 26 yards on ten carries. Dmitri Nance had one carry on a critical third down, and even though he received a bad spot, Nance was short of the first down.
John Kuhn, for the second game in a row, received no carries.
The Packers lack of a rushing game is a troubling sign heading into December. While Rodgers played about as good a game as you could have asked Sunday, he's not going to be able to do it all once the weather turns bad.
With four out of the last five games played outdoors, the Packers are going to need a better running game.
Missed Tackles, No Challenge?, Fumble on The Sneak
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Falcons running back Michael Turner weighs in at nearly 250 pounds, and the Packers' defenders had trouble bringing down the big back all day.
The defense missed numerous tackles, with several coming on big third down stops, and Sunday clearly was the Packers' worst overall display of tackling of the season.
However, on Atlanta's first touchdown drive, the Falcons caught a big break. On a fourth and four play, Ryan appeared to connect with tight end Tony Gonzalez for the first down, but replays showed that the ball was possibly incomplete.
Yet the Falcons' offense kept up their fast tempo, and Packers' coach Mike McCarthy never got the opportunity to challenge the call.
In my opinion, McCarthy should have thrown the red flag. In the one replay that the viewers got at home, and surely the Packers' staff got to see, the call was at the very least questionable. It would have been worth a timeout to make sure the fourth down conversion was in fact complete.
Finally, Rodgers' fumble on the quarterback sneak in the first half was a big turning point. The Falcons proceeded to march the ball down the field and score a touchdown right before the half, so what should have been seven points for the Packers turned into a 14 point swing in the game.
It was a tough break considering the Packers had numerous attempts from inside the 10-yard line to get the touchdown.
Conclusion
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At 7-4, the Packers' season is far from over, but this loss Sunday puts the pressure on the Packers for the final five games.
A Bears' win over the Eagles would put Chicago at 8-3, with a tiebreaker over the Packers for the division lead in the NFC North.
And even if the Packers don't win the North, finding a way into the playoffs via the wild card would be equally as difficult. The Giants (7-4), Eagles (either 8-3 or 7-4), Falcons (9-2), Saints (8-3) and Buccaneers (7-4 or 8-3) would all be fighting for the remaining four spots, factoring in the Bears having the North and one spot going to the NFC West winner.
With games remaining at New England, and New York and Chicago coming to Lambeau Field, the final five games are going to get very interesting.
The Green Bay Packers have a lot of work to do if they have plans of playing past their week 17 matchup with the Bears on January 2nd.
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