Packers vs. Falcons: 5 Observations from Green Bay's Annihilation of Atlanta
Back in the 2007 season, the Green Bay Packers put a blizzardy beat down to the tune of 42-20 on the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
As impressive a win as that was back than, it pales in comparison with the performance the Packers put on the Atlanta Falcons (13-4) Saturday night in the comforts of the Georgia Dome.
Green Bay (12-6) convincingly beat the NFC's no. 1 seed, 48-21, and will play the winner of Seattle and Chicago in the NFC Championship game.
Here are five observations from the Packers' win in Atlanta.
Turner the Burner Kept Cool
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Mark the Falcons down for 0-4 this season when Michael Turner rushes for less than 50 yards.
I made it one of the Packers' goals for this game, and they delivered—Turner only rushed for 39 yards.
However, they did it in a way that no one saw coming.
Turner was effective through the first half, even rushing for a touchdown, but the Falcons had to all but abandon the run game when the Packers jumped out to a 28-14 lead at halftime.
From there on out, the Falcons were completely out of their offensive comfort zone, and the Packers were able to concentrate all their effort on shutting down Matt Ryan and Atlanta's passing game.
Hot Packers Defense Melts Matty Ice
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For all the talk about Matt Ryan being a cool customer under pressure, the Packers defense sure put a dent in that résumé Saturday night.
Green Bay sacked Ryan five times and intercepted him twice, including a 70-yard pick six from Tramon Williams with no time left in the first half.
That fatal throw at the end of the half put the Packers up two touchdowns.
In reality, however, the Packers made Ryan look like a quarterback who has yet to win a playoff game throughout the night.
His first interception to Williams took points off the board, and Ryan struggled in the second half without the threat of a running game.
While Ryan finished the game 20-of-29 passing for 186 yards, it was crystal clear that he was no where near the level of quarterback that the Packers have under center.
Ryan is a good young quarterback, but he's got a long ways to go before he can consider him in the same class as Aaron Rodgers.
Speaking of that Rodgers guy...
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The Green Bay Packers have been a football franchise for almost a hundred years, but you'd be hard pressed to find a performance from a Packers quarterback that rivals that of Rodgers on Saturday night.
In a lot of instances, statistics don't do a quarterback justice for how well he played. In this game, they do him plenty.
Rodgers finished the game completing 31-of-36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, and even added a rushing touchdown to put the icing on the cake. His 86.5 completion percentage was the best mark in playoff history for a quarterback with 35 throws or more.
How did Rodgers pull off such an impressive performance?
He was a magician in the pocket all night, cleverly spinning and darting out of trouble, and his extensions on those plays allowed him to carve the Falcons' shaky pass defense.
In addition, Rodgers hit eight different Packers receivers, and the passing game was responsible for 18 first downs. Whether they were blitzing or dropping into coverage, it was clear the Falcons had no answers.
When the Packers' aerial assault was finally over, it's undisputed pilot—Aaron Rodgers—had firmly stamped his name among the NFL's imaginary plaque of elite quarterbacks.
And while he won't be attending the Pro Bowl festivities in Hawaii a week before the Super Bowl, something tells me Rodgers will have much bigger fish to fry during that week.
Either way, remember what you saw on Saturday night. It was the finest performance from a Packers quarterback in playoff history.
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Overcoming The Early Adversity
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The Packers' performance was impressive, but it didn't come without it's bumps in the early going.
For Green Bay, however, that's been a microcosm of their 2010 season.
The mistakes started right away, as the Falcons looked like the superior team for the better part of the game's first 20 minutes.
Packers receiver Greg Jennings committed a playoff sin—turning the ball over—by fumbling on the Green Bay's first possession.
Turner then rumbled into the endzone from 12 yards out, and with the Packers' early tackling, he looked primed to break 100 yards again.
Eric Weems, the NFC's Pro Bowl returner, gave the Falcons the lead once again by burning the maligned Packers' special teams with a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after Green Bay had tied the game.
Once the Packers ironed out these early kinks, however, it was all Green Bay from that point on. That's just how their season has gone.
The Packers fought through killer injuries—namely Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley—and a 3-3 start to now be one win away from getting to the Super Bowl.
Maybe it should come as no surprise this team responded so well to their early mistakes. They've battled setbacks with resiliency all season long.
The Show Rolls On
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The Packers' playoff run unofficially started four weeks ago against the New York Giants, and that show gets to roll on for at least another week.
Green Bay has won in all sorts of ways too: close (10-3 vs. Chicago, 21-16 vs. Philadelphia), blowouts (45-17 vs. the Giants, 48-21 vs. Atlanta), at home, on the road, through the air, on the ground, with defense, and with special teams.
It's clearly been a full team effort to get to the NFC Championship game, and when this season began, it was this team that everyone picked to get to the Super Bowl. It might not be exactly how we pictured it, but it's finally all coming together.
Of course, we had to tone down on the preseason hype when nearly a quarter of the Packers' opening 53-man roster went on the injured reserve.
Through it all, however, Mike McCarthy's team has gelled into everything we thought they could be.
Give credit where credit is due, and it's due for these Green Bay Packers.
Looking Ahead
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Regardless of who wins Sunday between Chicago and Seattle, the Packers will have to go on the road to stamp their trip to the Super Bowl.
The Packers beat the Bears in Week 17 to clinch their playoff spot, and maybe now we see why Lovie Smith played all his starters for the full 60 minutes in that game.
Knocking the Packers out of the playoffs would have saved a few teams—including the Bears—some major headaches.
However, the Packers' 10-3 win over a full-strength Bears team gave them a chance to make this unlikely run towards the NFC Championship game.
Don't forget about Seattle either. The Packers and Seahawks didn't play in 2010, but a trip to Qwest Field would be equally as difficult as a trip to Solider Field.
A win over the Bears would also give the Seahawks a lot of confidence heading into next Sunday.
Either way, the Packers are in the NFC Championship game. Whether they're playing the Bears or Seahawks, you have to like the Packers' chances of getting to the Super Bowl.
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