Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Packers Flog Falcons, Advance To Conference Game

Green Bay Routes Atlanta 48-21

"It was a special night."

So said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who couldn't help but acknowledge that this was probably the best performance of his young career. In a 48-21 roasting of the Falcons, the Packers left no doubt that they will indeed play anyone, anywhere. And so, the road now leads to Chicago, where these two historic rivals are set to meet, for the first time ever, in the conference championship game. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's see how Green Bay graded out in the Georgia Dome.

Offensively, Green Bay seems to be peaking at the perfect time. It is certainly no coincidence that this surge comes with the emergence of rookie RB James Starks. Remember, Starks sat out most of the year on the PUP list. Defenses have precious little film on a back who is proving to be up to the NFL task. With Starks earning respect from the opposing defense, QB Aaron Rodgers was able to unleash an aerial onslaught that kept Atlanta guessing, and largely off-balance. Starks gained only 66 yards on 25 carries, but the workload he shouldered goes beyond those numbers. With the Falcons defense unsure of the Packers new rookie rusher, Aaron Rodgers exploited their pause to the tune of 31/36 comp/att, 366 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Statistically, a better playoff performance cannot reasonably be achieved. The words are "Sliced" and "diced," as Packers LB Clay Matthews quipped in a post-game interview. Rodgers was inclusive, spreading the ball out to WR's Jennings, Nelson, Driver, and Jones for 101, 79, 76, and 75 yards respectively. Both Nelson and Jones nabbed TD catches, as did halfback/fullback, and local folk hero, John Kuhn, who rushed for a score as well. The real story here was 3rd tier man James Jones who, having struggled with slippery hands in pressure situations, came up big with skilled catches in this big game. Some credit his mysterious new gloves, which are bright yellow, shiny, and frankly look like props from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But hey, facts are facts, and the new gloves seem to work.

Offensive Grade: A

Defensively, the Packers handled their business like a team on a mission. Avenging their week 12 loss to the Falcons may not have been a public motivator, but defensive coordinator Dom Capers did post some inspirational bulletin board material for the defensive squad. A Falcon player used some choice words when describing the Packers defense to a local newspaper. The word Capers emphasized was "soft." If the opposite of soft is hard, it's fair to say Green Bay's defense played hard, limiting Falcons RB Michael Turner to just 39 yards. Because the Packers were able to build and sustain a lead, Turner saw the ball just 10 times, with QB Matt Ryan electing to pass more often than not. In fact, Ryan's 20/29 comp/att, and Turner's 10 carries for 39 yards, puts the total offensive plays for the Falcons 2 main players, at a meager 39 opportunities. The defense stood strong, and got off the field usually within 3 minutes of game time. Drive for drive, here's how the Packers defense performed - Punt, TD, Interception, Interception, Punt, TD, Fumble, Fumble, Punt. It's hard to argue with results. Green Bay limited Matt Ryan to just 186 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Both interceptions were claimed by CB Tramon Williams, who ran one back for a 70 yard pick six. The Packers held WR Roddy White to just 57 yards on 6 catches, but perhaps more importantly, they also kept TE Tony Gonzalez off the stat sheet with no meaningful yardage. Called soft, played hard.

Defensive Grade: A

Special teams was a nightmare. In a closer game, we'd not soon forget that Atlanta ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. This is an automatic fail. On special teams, the most basic goal for the kicking team is to keep the receiving team from scoring. Simple. On the plus side, Green Bay never punted, and punter Tim Masthay was content spending the whole game on the sideline getting a massage and a cucumber facial.

Special Teams Grade: F

The cumulative grade for this game is a solid B. The offense is clicking, the defense is stout, but special teams made critical errors. It's easy to ignore these mistakes when the team wins by 27 points, but it's important to note the increased magnitude these flubs can have in the playoffs.

Cumulative Grade: B






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