Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers and 10 Heroes from Win over Atlanta Falcons

The Green Bay Packers went into Atlanta and destroyed the Falcons on Saturday night.

Aaron Rodgers and company, the No. 6 seed in the NFC, beat the No. 1 seed by a score of 48-21.

The offense was clicking on all cylinders, the defense made some big plays and the coaching staff made all the right calls en route to an easy victory.

Though the special teams struggled a bit, the rest of the team was able to more than make up for their shortcomings.

Let's take a look at 10 heroes from Saturday night's game.

10. Jordy Nelson, WR

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Jordy Nelson #87 of the Green Bay Packers scores a 6-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against Duanta Robinson #23 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15,

Nelson had eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Some of his catches helped move the chains, and he had a tough touchdown catch early in the second quarter for the first Green Bay points.

That was a big play after Jennings fumbled a catch on the opening possession, leading to an Atlanta touchdown.

9. Greg Jennings, WR

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Greg Jennings #85 of Green Bay Packers fumbles the ball in the first quarter against Stephen Nicholas #54 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georg

Jennings had a costly fumble on the opening possession that led to seven points for the Falcons.

But from then on out, Jennings was Aaron Rodgers' most reliable receiver.

He caught eight passes for 101 yards in the victory.

8. Mike McCarthy, Head Coach

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers celebraters a defensive play with Tramon Williams #38 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia

I've been on McCarthy's case all season long for being a bad head coach.

He normally mismanages timeouts, challenges and play calls.

But, this weekend, he had his best game of the year.

I'll give him credit where credit is due, but that doesn't mean I won't get back on his case if he has a bad game in the NFC Championship game.

7. James Starks, RB

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: James Starks #44 of the Green Bay Packers runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Starks didn't match the 123-yard performance he had against the Eagles last week.

But he did have 25 carries for 66 yards.

He at least made sure the Falcons had to give a little bit of respect to the running game, opening up passing lanes for Aaron Rodgers.

6. B.J. Raji, DT

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: B.J. Raji #90 of the Green Bay Packers sacks Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Raji had a sack and clogged up Michael Turner's running lanes.

But he also played a little offense, leading the way for John Kuhn's one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

With all the injuries to the defensive line, Raji has been playing a lot and his conditioning is a huge reason for the Packers' success.

5. John Kuhn, RB

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: John Kuhn #30 of the Green Bay Packers scores a 7-yard touchdown reception against the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Grayt

Kuhn had another solid offensive day in the red zone.

He caught a seven-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and ran for a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

One of the most popular players in Green Bay led the team to another playoff victory.

4. James Jones, WR

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: James Jones #89 of the Green Bay Packers scores a 20-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against Atari Bigby #20 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011

Jones dropped a very easy touchdown before halftime last week against the Eagles.

This week, he made an amazing touchdown catch right before halftime to give the Packers a 21-14 lead.

He ended the game with four catches for 75 yards and no drops, a big confidence booster heading into next week.

3. Clay Matthews, OLB

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Clay Matthews #52 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates as he walks off the field after the Packers won 48-21 against the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta

Matthews had what could be considered the biggest play of the game.

With the Falcons in field goal range, with seconds to go before halftime, Matthews sacked Matt Ryan, forcing the Falcons to run another play instead of attempting a long field goal.

On that play, Tramon Williams intercepted Ryan's pass and ran it back for a touchdown as time expired in the first half. That wouldn't have happened without Matthews' sack.

He finished the game with four tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

2. Tramon Williams, CB

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Tramon Williams #38 of the Green Bay Packers intercepts a pass in the endzone against Michael Jenkins #12 of the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georg

Williams had an interception in this game that resembled the interception he had last week to clinch the game against the Eagles.

Then, just before halftime, he had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown.

That gives him three interceptions on the year, showing everyone why he deserved to be in the Pro Bowl.

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after he threw a 7-yard touchdown to John Kuhn #30 in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2

In Green Bay, everything starts with Aaron Rodgers.

As he goes, so go the Packers.

Well, they certainly went on Saturday night, scoring 48 points, 41 of those points coming on offense.

Rodgers finished with 366 yards on 31-for-36 passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

He put a stamp on his young career with a great playoff performance.

He'll need to keep his confidence high heading into next week's NFC Championship game.