Packers vs. Falcons: Perfect Packers Will Be Undone by Imperfect Defense

They just started the second half in Atlanta, and the Green Bay Packers' perfect 4-0 record is officially in jeopardy. The Falcons got touchdowns from Roddy White and Michael Turner in the first half, and are starting the second half with a 14-6 lead.

The bright side for the Packers is that they still have Aaron Rodgers, who is probably the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Thanks to him alone, the Packers are by no means out of this game.

In fact, between you and me, I fully expect the Pack to come back and win this one. There's just no way Atlanta's defense is going to hold the Packers to nothing but field goals for two full halves. Rodgers and the rest of the Packers offense are going to break through sooner or later.

But right about now, my concern is with Green Bay's own defense. It has been a bend-but-don't-break defense all season to this point, and that trend is holding true on Sunday night.

When you consider how well Green Bay's defense played well last year, this is a disturbing trend. The Packers finished fifth in total defense last season, and tied for second in sacks. They allowed just 15 points per game, a figure that ranked second in the league.

Things have been much different this year. The Pack came into tonight's game allowing over 400 yards per game in total offense, and were allowing over 24 points per game. It's looking right now like neither of these numbers are going to be going down tonight.

Are the Packers the worst defensive team in the league? Hardly. Come to think of it, there are at least six or seven teams that are far worse than the Packers on the defensive side of the ball.

The problem is that there should be a lot more teams that are worse than the Packers defensively. They certainly have no shortage of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and we know that Dom Capers is a very good defensive coordinator.

Because of this, I want to believe that the Packers are going to get their defense squared away at some point this season. But given what we've seen, it seems more reasonable to believe that the Packers defense is going to hover closer to mediocrity than it is to greatness.

This won't stop the Packers from piling up wins and reaching the playoffs. It will, however, lead to plenty of difficult games before the season is over, and probably a few more once the Packers reach the playoffs.

At that point, a single slip-up could derail the Pack's repeat hopes. Seeing as how they have a defense that has been prone to slip-ups, that's not a happy prospect.