8:30 PM ET, December 8,2014
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Associated Press
Packers Win High-Scoring Affair Against Falcons
But the Atlanta Falcons' furious late rally provided the Packers' potential playoff foes some hope.
Maybe Lambeau Field won't be that impenetrable after all in the postseason.
More from ESPN.com
Just
when they thought their defense had moved past its problems, the
Packers almost blew a 24-point halftime lead against the Falcons, Rob
Demovsky writes. Story
Julio
Jones gave the Falcons a chance against Green Bay, and if he's healthy,
he gives them a chance to reach the playoffs, Vaughn McClure writes. Story
The
fast start proved to be better than the fantastic finish as the Packers
held off the Falcons on Monday night. ESPN Stats & Info takes a
look. StoryThe Packers (10-3) earned their fifth consecutive victory to stay a game up on Detroit in the NFC North. They remain tied with Arizona for the NFC's best record.
"There's been some ups and downs on both sides of the ball all season," Rodgers said. "But we're really getting this home-field advantage thing going, with the crowd noise, with the footing, with the way we're playing, being really balanced on offense."
Rodgers acknowledged there might have been a "slight relaxation" at halftime up 24.
What matters most in the end to Green Bay is that it held on for a victory, even though this win didn't go quite according to the script the Packers had written earlier this year against NFC foes.
"Defensively, a tale of two halves. You have to give Atlanta's offense a lot of credit," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We have plenty to clean up."
The Falcons dropped to 5-8 but remained in a first-place tie with New Orleans in the woeful NFC South.
Julio Jones had a career-best 259 yards receiving for the Falcons before leaving with a hip injury. Jones had a 22-yard touchdown catch in a 20-point fourth quarter that helped Atlanta cut into Green Bay's big lead.
Matt Ryan's 2-yard touchdown pass to Harry Douglas with 2:15 left got Atlanta within six.
But the Packers recovered the ensuing onside kick, and backup running back James Starks effectively ended Atlanta's upset hopes with a 41-yard run to the Falcons' 6 with 1:37 left.
The Falcons had won three of four going into the game. They haven't lost hope that they can still make the playoffs.
"Yeah, absolutely. We scored 37 points tonight. If you can't believe in that, then you don't need to be in this locker room, we need to cut some people," receiver Roddy White said.
Nelson Digs The Long Ball
Jordy Nelson leads the league this season and over the past four seasons in receiving touchdowns of 50 yards or longer.Past Four Seasons
| Jordy Nelson | 13* |
| Victor Cruz | 9 |
| Calvin Johnson | 8 |
| A.J. Green | 8 |
| *Leads NFL with five this season | |
| -- ESPN Stats & Information | |
Ryan threw for 375 yards and four scores, including a 1-yard touchdown catch by White with 6:20 left that trimmed Green Bay's lead to 40-30. Jones didn't come out for Atlanta's failed 2-point conversion attempt.
"Difficult. There's probably never a good time for an injury, but that's part of the game," Ryan said.
Mason Crosby kicked a 53-yard field goal with 4:37 left, helping the Packers withstand Atlanta's final punch.
Rodgers finished 24-of-36 for 327 yards. Lacy had 73 yards on 13 carries and 33 yards on five catches.
The tough running back wiggled from side to side to celebrate his 1-yard touchdown reception with 4:20 left in the second quarter. The score was set up by safety Morgan Burnett's interception.
Later, Rodgers sidestepped his way out of a late blitz by Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann and found Jordy Nelson in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the half. Rodgers and Nelson also connected on a 60-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Nelson finished with eight catches for 146 yards.
Jones was even better, catching 11 of the 17 passes thrown in his direction. His 79-yard catch-and-run to the Packers' 3 on the first play of the third quarter set up a 5-yard touchdown catch by Eric Weems on fourth down.
It was a sign of things to come in the second half before Green Bay was able to hang on at the end.
"We can't play one half or three quarters or anything like that," linebacker Julius Peppers said. "We've got to finish games."
Game notes
Lacy was pulled in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. He said he thought he would be OK, although he was sidelined as a precaution. Asked when the injury occurred, Lacy joked, "Whenever I ran into the two big dudes." ... Starks finished with 75 yards on 10 carries. ... McCarthy tied Vince Lombardi with 98 career victories, second on the franchise list behind Curly Lambeau (209). ... S Dwight Lowery had a team-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble for Atlanta.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
Photo Wire
Jeff Kahlow is seen outside Lambeau Field before an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the...
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Team Stat Comparison
ATL
|
GB
| |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 26 | 28 |
Passing 1st downs
| 17 | 17 |
Rushing 1st downs
| 8 | 10 |
1st downs from penalties
| 1 | 1 |
3rd down efficiency
| 5-11 | 7-12 |
4th down efficiency
| 3-3 | 0-1 |
| Total Plays | 64 | 67 |
| Total Yards | 465 | 502 |
| Yards per play | 7.3 | 7.5 |
| Total Drives | 10 | 10 |
| Passing | 374 | 323 |
Comp-Att
| 24-39 | 24-36 |
Yards per pass
| 9.4 | 8.7 |
Interceptions thrown
| 1 | 0 |
Sacks-Yards Lost
| 1-1 | 1-4 |
| Rushing | 91 | 179 |
Rushing Attempts
| 24 | 30 |
Yards per rush
| 3.8 | 6.0 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 5-5 | 4-6 |
| Penalties | 3-11 | 5-40 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
Fumbles lost
| 0 | 0 |
Interceptions thrown
| 1 | 0 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 26:59 | 33:01 |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | ATL | GB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TD | 11:13 | James Starks 3 Yd Run (Mason Crosby Kick)
Drive info: 7 plays, 81 yds, 3:47
| 0 | 7 |
 | TD | 7:00 | Steven Jackson 4 Yd Run (Matt Bryant Kick)
Drive info: 9 plays, 72 yds, 4:13
| 7 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER | ATL | GB | |||
| TD | 14:55 | Eddie Lacy 1 Yd Run (Mason Crosby Kick)
Drive info: 13 plays, 80 yds, 7:05
| 7 | 14 |
| FG | 7:17 | Mason Crosby 38 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 12 plays, 63 yds, 5:56
| 7 | 17 |
| TD | 4:20 | Eddie Lacy 1 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby Kick)
Drive info: 4 plays, 15 yds, 2:07
| 7 | 24 |
| TD | 0:24 | Jordy Nelson 10 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby Kick)
Drive info: 8 plays, 53 yds, 2:11
| 7 | 31 |
| THIRD QUARTER | ATL | GB | |||
| TD | 12:35 | Eric Weems 5 Yd pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant Kick)
Drive info: 5 plays, 82 yds, 2:25
| 14 | 31 |
| FG | 8:20 | Matt Bryant 50 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 6 plays, 22 yds, 2:31
| 17 | 31 |
| FG | 3:57 | Mason Crosby 33 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 8 plays, 62 yds, 4:23
| 17 | 34 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | ATL | GB | |||
| TD | 12:33 | Julio Jones 22 Yd pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant Kick)
Drive info: 11 plays, 73 yds, 6:24
| 24 | 34 |
| TD | 10:38 | Jordy Nelson 60 Yd pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby PAT blocked)
Drive info: 4 plays, 74 yds, 1:55
| 24 | 40 |
| TD | 6:15 | Roddy White 1 Yd pass from Matt Ryan (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed)
Drive info: 12 plays, 71 yds, 4:23
| 30 | 40 |
| FG | 4:33 | Mason Crosby 53 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 4 plays, 6 yds, 1:42
| 30 | 43 |
| TD | 2:11 | Harry Douglas 2 Yd pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant Kick)
Drive info: 9 plays, 66 yds, 2:22
| 37 | 43 |
Research Notes
The
Packers are trying to become the 4th team in NFL history to average 40
PPG at home. Just two of the previous three (2011 Saints and 2011
Packers) went unbeaten at home. That 2011 Packers squad lost their first
home playoff game to the Giants.
[+] |
--Aaron Rodgers
was 23-of-31 for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns when the Falcons rushed 4
defenders or fewer. When Atlanta blitzed, Rodgers was 1-of-5 for 10
yards.
--Matt Ryan
completed 7-of-11 passes for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns against the
blitz. Ryan's 15 touchdowns against the blitz are tied with Drew Brees for the most in the league this season.
|
*Julio Jones
set a Falcons franchise record with 259 receiving yards before leaving
late in the game with a hip injury. Jones' yards were the 4th-most in
Monday Night Football history. 212 of his yards came on throws more than
10 yards downfield.
- Jones had a career-high 7 receptions on passes traveling more than 10
yards downfield Monday, tied with T.Y. Hilton and Emmanuel Sanders
for the most by any player in a game this season.
- Jones had 116 yards after the catch, the second-most in his career and
the second-most by a wide receiver in a game this season (Demaryius Thomas, 148).
[+] |
Aaron Rodgers
was 8-of-9 for 157 yards and a touchdown on play-action passes Monday,
including 5 completions for 126 yards and a touchdown when targeting Jordy Nelson.
The Packers averaged 6.0 yards per rush, their most in a game this
season. Green Bay ran for 119 yards on rushes outside the tackles, their
most in a game since Week 17 in 2007 against the Lions.
Aaron Rodgers scrambled for 2 first downs Monday to give him 16 for the
season, second behind Russell Wilson
(19).
Nelson has caught a touchdown in all 7 games at home this season, the
longest active streak in the league. The last streak of more than 7
games was also done by Nelson (in all 8 games in 2011).
[+] |
The Falcons have only pressured Aaron Rodgers on 3 of his 19 dropbacks (16%) tonight.
Entering tonight, the Falcons pressured opposing quarterbacks on 20.3% of dropbacks, the lowest rate in the league.
|
That is the Packers' 4th touchdown in the first 5 minutes of a game this season, the most by any team.
|
One
of the biggest reasons for the Packers' success this season is their
improvement in the turnover department. They've limited their mistakes
while feasting on their opponents'.
[+] |
Julio Jones is up to 213 Rec yards, which breaks Roddy White's team record of 210, set in 2009.
It's just the 3rd 200-yard game in Falcons history. The other two are by White.
|
The
bad news for the Falcons? Teams holding at least a 24-point lead at
halftime over the last 10 seasons are 114-2. The good news? Those 2
losses have come in each of the last 2 seasons. The Patriots were down
24-0 to the Broncos before winning 34-31 last season; the Broncos were
also down 24-0 to the Chargers before winning 35-24 in 2012.
|
Aaron Rodgers is 8-9 for 157 yards and a TD on play-action passes tonight, including 5-6 for 126 yards and a TD when targeting Jordy Nelson.
|
Julio Jones the 1st player with consecutive 175+ yard receiving games since Josh Gordon (Week 12-13) last season.
|
Aaron Rodgers' 10 straight completions are his most to open a game in his career.
|
Aaron Rodgers has scrambled for 2 first downs tonight giving him 16 this season. The only QB with more is Russell Wilson (19).
|
Jordy Nelson
has a receiving TD in all 7 home games this season, the longest active
streak in the NFL and the longest streak since 2011, when Nelson caught a
TD in 8 straight home games.
|
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