No one saw this coming. A fast start and strong finish helped the Atlanta Falcons to a 27-24 upset win in Green Bay. The victory raised the Falcons’ record to 3-2 on the year, and was their first road win of the season. Sunday’s effort will certainly turn some heads as the Falcons look to become a legitimate threat in the NFC.
The home team trailed 17-7 at the half, but the Packers took control early in the second half by controlling the clock and riding the arm of a resurgent Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers found Greg Jennings with 10:08 to play for a 25-yard score to tie the game for the first time since early in the first quarter
The Falcons fought back immediately afterwards. A 54-yard kick return from Jerious Norwood gave Atlanta good field position and set up a 41-yard Jason Elam FG.
On the ensuing drive, Michael Boley picked off Rodgers on third-and-19 with 4:33 left to play, returning the ball 16 yards to the Packers’ 19-yard line. Three plays later, Michael Turner found the end zone for the sixth time this season.
The Packers would respond quickly and pull within three on a 4-yard strike to Donald Lee. But they were unable to recover the onsides kick, and the Falcons ran the final 1:56 off the clock.
ROAD WOES OVER?
Atlanta’s road struggles have been well documented, but the team showed huge progress in several crucial areas to score the win this Sunday.
After squandering opportunities on offense in the two previous road defeats, the Falcons scored a touchdown on their first offensive possession (a 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan to tight end Justin Peele), their first touchdown on the road all season.
The 7-0 lead was just the beginning for the Falcons, as they completely dominated the proceedings in the first half. The defense was on its game too, not allowing a first down until early in the second quarter and putting plenty of pressure on the injured Rodgers.
Meanwhile, the Falcons offensive line was doing its job, giving Ryan plenty of time to throw. He was not sacked once all day. The rookie made the most of the extra time by establishing an impressive connection with wide receiver Roddy White in the first half. White caught eight balls for 132 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. Ryan finished the game on 16-of-26 passing for 194 yards and two touchdowns. He did make one mistake, underthrowing a wide-open Ben Hartsock in the end zone for an interception in the fourth quarter.
The offensive line also excelled in run blocking, giving Michael Turner plenty of holes to run through. The result was Turner’s third 100-yard game of the season, as he ran for 121 yards on 26 carries.
The Falcons were just 9-of-32 on third downs at Carolina and Tampa Bay, but they rose to the occasion today, getting the job done on six of their 12 attempts.
HOW GOOD ARE THEY?
Winning in Lambeau is no easy task, especially for such a young team. But the young guys played like they’ve been there before. Ryan was calm and collected, White embarrassed the Green Bay secondary in the first half, and Chris Houston shut down his side of the field (it’s a good thing when you go all game without hearing your No. 1 cornerback’s name called).
No one knew who a lot of these guys were just over a month ago. They do now. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to play sound football in the coming weeks, as teams will be ready for them from now on.
GAME NOTES
Ryan’s 194 yards passing was a new career high. … White didn’t catch a pass in the second half after racking up 132 yards in first half. … Defensive end John Abraham added another sack, his seventh on the season. … The Packers’ Greg Jennings has scored 14 touchdowns in his last 17 games. … The win was the Falcons’ second straight in Green Bay. The last came during the 2002 playoffs. … Rodgers was 25-of-37 for 313 yards, three touchdowns and one interception despite playing with an injured shoulder.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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