Atlanta Falcons Will Be Facing a Ripe Packers Team
By Joey Vazquez
Jan 15, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the second half in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE
The Green Bay Packers are ripe for the picking against the Falcons on Monday night’s nationally-televised game.
That’s right… I said it. Hear me now and believe me later.
Sure I’m going out on a limb flimsier than Charlie Brown’s sad little Christmas Tree. Don’t dismiss this as the fevered dream of a die-hard Falcons fan intoxicated from exalting in wins three of the past four weeks (which should have been five straight if not for head coach Mike Smith’s multiple clock management SNAFUs… but I digress).
It’s clear that Green Bay is a distinct upgrade in competition from Atlanta’s past four opponents, but the Pack is going to lose to the recently resurgent Falcons. At first glance there appears to be no reason to remotely believe this is possible, but a little research revealed chinks in the Packer armor.
We all know Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is an elite QB in a pass-proficient NFL commanding the second-best scoring offense at 31.7 points per game. I’m aware of his inhuman 32-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. I know he hasn’t tossed an INT at Lambeau field, the site of Monday’s game, since the 2012. There’s no arguing that he evades pressure incredibly well for a pocket passer as evidenced by 33 scrambles for 200 yards. Of course I realize his favorite targets, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, are having Pro-Bowl-worthy seasons.
We’ve been inundated with conventional wisdom dictating the Falcons must stop Rodgers to win this game, but they have it completely upside-down. Sun Tzu had it right when he said, “… the way (to victory) is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.” Click through and see the weaknesses I’ve found in the cheese-plated armor and how Atlanta can prove conventional wisdom – and the irritating national talking heads – very, very wrong: