It was not a great night for defense in Green Bay on Monday Night Football, but that didn't matter much for the Packers because Aaron Rodgers and the offense turned in yet another brilliant performance. Green Bay jumped out to a big lead early and, while the Falcons rallied back with a great offensive performance of their own, it was not enough. Green Bay improved to 10-3 with a 43-37 victory and Rodgers made a bit of history on the way to the win, setting a new record for the most passing yards during the first 100 starts of a player's career.
Green Bay put up scores on every offensive possession in the first half, though the Falcons did manage to gain some ground with multiple scores in the second half. The gap actually started to close significantly, as the Falcons scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Eventually, they trailed by just six points with under three minutes to go in the fourth. However, Green Bay notched two first downs in its final possession to keep the ball and hold on for the victory.
With the win, the Packers move to 10-3 on the season and maintain a one-game lead in the competitive NFC North. With the loss, the Falcons are now 5-8, and still tied for the NFC South lead with the New Orleans Saints.
But the game Monday did not look like a matchup between two playoff teams. The NFC South will have a representative with a losing record if the Saints and Falcons each lose another game in the final three weeks. Green Bay is now eyeing a Week 17 contest against the Detroit Lions, who are just a game back in the division.
It was an eventful first half for the Packers, but an uneventful half for their punter. The Packers managed to score on every possession of the first half, though to be fair to the Falcons, they did manage to hold the Packers to a field goal on one of the drives. But the Falcons couldn't keep up offensively, and Green Bay took a dominant 31-7 lead into the half.
The Packers went 81 yards on seven plays (James Starks touchdown), 80 yards on 13 plays (Eddie Lacy touchdown), 63 yards on 12 plays (Mason Crosby field goal), 15 yards on four plays (Lacy touchdown reception, came after a Matt Ryan interception) and 53 yards in eight plays (Jordy Nelson touchdown reception).
Meanwhile, Atlanta's first offensive possession was the only one that went well. That drive saw them go 72 yards in nine plays, capped off by a Steven Jackson 4-yard touchdown run. While that tied the game at 7-7, they didn't find that kind of success again for the rest of the half.
The Falcons finally showed some life in the second half, putting up a touchdown and a field goal in the third quarter. That made it a 14-point game, though the Packers did manage a 33-yard field goal near the end of the quarter to make it 34-17 heading into the fourth. Atlanta didn't let up there, as Matt Ryan found wide receiver Julio Jones for a 22-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game with plenty of time remaining.
But Rodgers and the Packers responded in a big way, as the prolific quarterback hit Nelson for a 60-yard touchdown pass. That made it a 16-point game after the Falcons managed to block the extra point attempt by Crosby. Ryan wound up finding Roddy White for a touchdown with six minutes to go, but the Falcons failed the two-point conversion attempt, making it a 10-point game.
Green Bay wound up kicking a field goal after that. However, they didn't manage to kill a whole lot of clock, allowing the Falcons to drive downfield once again. Atlanta put up its third touchdown of the quarter, making it a one-score game, but a couple big plays from the Packers allowed them to get in scoring position and effectively clear the clock.
Three things we learned:
1) Aaron Rodgers' offensive line is ridiculous
Rodgers is among the best players in the league, and an argument can be made that he is its best active quarterback. He can make any throw, rarely makes bad decisions and always keeps the Packers competitive. That said, not enough recognition is given to his offensive line, which gives him a ridiculous amount of time to throw the football.
During the game, the broadcast focused on this, putting a timer on Rodgers' time in a clean pocket. He was routinely getting more than three seconds before he even had to worry about potential pressure. His offensive line certainly made his job easier on Monday and allowed him an opportunity to complete all those beautiful throws.
2) Tackling Eddie Lacy is hard
Lacy might not match his yardage totals from his rookie season, but the second-year back has been solid this year and has put together some impressive outings. He had another one of those games, putting up 73 yards on the ground with another 33 in the air and two touchdowns in total. In addition to his solid stats, Lacy had one of the more impressive runs of the week by making multiple Falcons players miss leaving a trail of defenders in his wake:
3) Julio Jones is still as good as ever
The Falcons gave up a lot to select Julio Jones in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, but it was seen as a great deal given the offensive talent already on the team. And it has indeed turned out to be a good deal, as Jones and Roddy White formed the most feared wide receiver duo in the league. But White has struggled this year, and the Falcons offense looks just as bad as the rest of the team.
Jones, on the other hand, has been good throughout. In fact, he is having his best season yet, with 82 receptions for 1,169 yards and five touchdowns entering Monday. He had a huge game against the Packers and was the lone bright spot in Atlanta's offense, finishing with 11 receptions for 259 yards and a touchdown. His impressive TD made it a 10-point game in the fourth:
★★★