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Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (4-0) face off with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) in Week 5 of the NFL season on Sunday Night Football.

The basics 

When: 7:20 CDT; Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011

Where: Georgia Dome; Atlanta, GA

TV: NBC; Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth with the call, Michelle Tafoya on the sidelines

Radio: 620 AM WTMJ (Milwaukee), Packers Radio Network, Westwood One Radio, NFL Sunday Drive (Sirius Radio)

Series: Packers lead, 14-13 (Falcons won the last regular season game, 20-17, in Atlanta on Nov. 28, 2010)

Five things to watch

1. The beat goes on  Read more... (1684 words + 1 image, estimated 6:44 mins reading time)

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Didn’t we just beat these guys?

Nine months after beating the top NFC seed handily in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers return to the Georgia Dome this Sunday night to face the Atlanta Falcons.  The Packers enter the game on a ten game winning streak dating back to last season and are currently tied with the Detroit Lions for the NFC North lead at 4-0.  The Falcons come in struggling and are one of the NFC’s most enigmatic teams at 2-2.

Last Week in Review

The Packers continued to roll, defeating the hapless Denver Broncos 49-23 at Lambeau Field.  The Falcons meanwhile barely held on after blowing an early lead against the Seattle Seahawks 30-28. The Falcons are currently third in the NFC South behind New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

Key Falcons players

QB Matt Ryan

Entering 2011, if there was one quarterback who was the next to see a rise to superstardom like Aaron Rodgers had last year, it was Matt Ryan.  Despite the blowout loss at home in the playoffs, the foundation had been laid for the Falcons to be dominant for years to come.

So far, that dominance has gotten off to a sluggish start.  Ryan is under constant pressure and has been making uncharacteristic mistakes.  While he is completing 62.2% of his passes, he has 6 TDs against 4 INTs.  Read more... (1210 words + 1 image, estimated 4:50 mins reading time)

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Bring on the Falcons! The Green Bay Packers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21-16 in an NFC Wild Card matchup and now move on to the Georgia Dome to face the Atlanta Falcons this Saturday night in the divisional round.
One down, three to go, Packers fans.

In what is becoming a common theme in the Packers’ postseason opponents, they faced the Falcons earlier in the season. On November 28th, the Packers fell to the Falcons 20-17 on a last second field goal. It was arguably the poorest tackling day by an otherwise stout Green Bay defense as Falcons running back Michael Turner gained 110 yards on the ground and scored one touchdown. Quarterback Matt Ryan was also brilliant throwing only four incompletions out of 28 attempts.

You’ve heard it ever since the playoffs began: “Anything in can happen in the playoffs. Everyone’s record is 0-0 and it’s every team for itself.” Perhaps now more was this evident in the 7-9 NFC West champion Seahawks’ upset of the defending Super Bowl Champion Saints in Seattle last weekend.

The Packers stand one win away from their second trip to the NFC Championship Game in four years. This one will be on the road, playing either in Seattle or Chicago depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game at Soldier Field.

Breaking down the Falcons

It’s only been seven weeks since these two teams squared off so the Falcons’ tendencies should still be rather fresh in the mind of the Packers.  Read more... (1504 words + 1 image, estimated 6:01 mins reading time)

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After the Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-3 in a game that cost Brad Childress his job, Packer fans could have stayed on cloud nine all the way into next training camp. But here come the Dirty Birds (AKA the Atlanta Falcons)…

So let’s snap back to reality here. The Packers have six games left and have a realistic shot at the Super Bowl and that means a lot more than one win over the Vikings, right?

Right?

Anywho, the Packers head to Atlanta this week to face the Falcons who currently own the best record in the NFC at 8-2 and are led by a quarterback that is darn near a clone of Aaron Rodgers.

How’s that for a sobriety check?

Breaking down the Falcons

The aforementioned Rodgers clone is Falcons quarterback Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan.  The third year quarterback out of Boston College continues the spectacular play that began in his rookie year of 2008.

Ryan is smart with the ball and doesn’t cost his team games. He is well respected in the locker room after taking over for a quarterback (the since redeemed Michael Vick) who had a messy divorce from the organization.

Sound familiar?

Besides Ryan, the Falcons offense is led by running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Roddy White. Turner is one of the most bruising backs in the league whose big frame and ability to break tackles will provide a tough challenge for the Packers’ stout run defense.  Read more... (938 words + 1 image, estimated 3:45 mins reading time)

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