September 17, 2017 - Sunday Night Football @ Mercedes Benz Stadium (Indoor)
No Super-bowl hangover for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons (2-0).
The Falcons defeated the Green Bay Packers (1-1) 34-23 at home on Sunday Night Football using a balanced attack to dominate most of the game in front of a loud home crowd.
Atlanta came out firing as Devonte Freeman capped a 9-play 86-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run, putting the Falcons up early.
Ty Montgomery answered for the Packers later in the first quarter with his own 1-yard TD run, but Green Bay was outscored 17-0 the rest of the half.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had a throw from his own 3 yard line picked off by DB Desmond Trufant at the GB 36 with 47 seconds to go in the half on a spectacular diving catch toward the side line on 2nd down. The Falcons then capitalized with a 3 yard TD toss to Tevin Coleman going up 24-7 just before the half.
The night got worse for Green Bay as Rodgers was hammered to the ground on just the 2nd play of the 3rd quarter by LB Vic Beasley, all while rushing a lateral pass towards the right sideline with no Cheese-heads around. Desmond Trufant was again there to make a big play, picking the ball up and running it back for a defensive TD.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy challenged the play but the ruling of a sack and fumble was upheld putting the Packers down 31-7.
The Falcons coasted the rest of the way.
QB Matt Ryan flashed the same form that won him MVP honours last season as he used an arsenal of weapons to attack a Green Bay defence which had some success penetrating a less than stellar Seattle offensive line last week. Ryan finished with 252 passing yards on 19-28 throwing with 1 TD pass and 0 turnovers.
The Packers defence had trouble against a quicker Atlanta offence. Backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman was well supported by an agile Atlanta O-line and a trio of sound-blocking receivers, leaving Green Bay defensive co-ordinator Dom Capers scratching his head for most of this one.
Aaron Rodgers finished with 33 completions on 50 attempts for 343 yards with 2 TD passes, 1 INT and 1 fumble.
FALCONS FAST START
Matt Ryan went 3-3 on the opening drive for 59 yards and had 201 yards at half-time with 95 of those coming from 4 completions to star WR Julio Jones in a game which the Falcons never trailed.
FASTEST TO 300 TD TOSSES
Aaron Rodgers threw his 300th career TD pass with 5:51 to go in the game on a short 1-yard toss to Ty Montgomery. It took Rodgers 144 games to reach 300 TD passes, breaking the previous record held by Peyton Manning and Dan Marino (157 games).
Fewest attempts reaching 300 TD passes
4742 - Aaron Rodgers
5306 - Peyton Manning
5321 - Tom Brady
5460 - Dan Marino
It should be noted that many rules have changed through the years. Still, Rodgers also has a much lower interceptions per attempt average than Marino and Manning while being comparable to that of Brady. Rodgers career career INT rate is 1.6% with a 1.4% rate since 2009 - the same as Tom Brady since 2009.
INJURY ROUND-UP
Things aren't getting any easier for the Packers as injuries continue to pile. DT Mike Daniel went down with a hammy issue, WR Randall Cobb hurt his shoulder, and back-up S Kentrell Brice left with a groin injury.
Atlanta RT Ryan Schrader was knocked out of the game with a concussion on the first drive of the game. OLB Vic Beasley hurt his hamstrings and DL Courtney Upshaw left with an ankle injury.
2016 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
This was a battle between the last two teams standing in the NFC last season. Atlanta defeated Green Bay 44-21 this past January to earn their place into last years Super Bowl.
FIRST REGULAR SEASON GAME AT MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM
The $1.5 billion facility had it's camera lens-like roof open while hosting a sporting event for the first time. The crowd was entertained with a show on top of the win.
FANTASY FOCUS
Randall Cobb caught 6 of his 9 targets on Sunday night. Cobb was a question mark going into the fantasy season with the presence of Jordy Nelson and rise of Davonte Adams , but Rodgers seems to have lost no faith in Cobb, going to the vet 24 times after just 2 games this season, completing 15 of those attempts for 145 total yards. Proceed with caution as Cobb hurt his shoulder vs. the Falcons, adding to his already lengthy injury history, but his potential in this Packers offence is too potent to ignore. Cobb shoulder along with Jordy Nelson's quad injury should be closely monitored by owners.
Julio Jones caught 5 of his 9 targets for 105 yards. The right foot of Jones is often a topic of debate, as well documented in a recent NFL NETWORKS film: DO YOUR JOB 2 - Bill Belichick & the 2016 Patriots. The Patriots discuss noticing Jones having difficulty planting off his right foot and so they bait him into cutting that way in the big game. Still, Jones was able to make catches planting off that bad foot in the Super Bowl, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing him down this season either. Jones continues to make his case as one of the best WR in the NFL and the attention Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams give him - even moments before kick-off in the Super Bowl, as they analyze his every move - reflects the significance of his impact and his importance to the Falcons offence.
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