Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – NFC Championship

Atlanta Falcons host Green Bay Packers in NFC Championship Game

The Atlanta Falcons (12-5) take on the Green Bay Packers (12-6) for the second time this season when they host the NFC Championship Game as home favorites. This may be a high-scoring game with Aaron Rodgers dazzling us with fantastic throws each time he steps on the field and Atlanta scoring 71 more points than any other team did in the regular season. The Atlanta Falcons beat Green Bay 33-32 in the first meeting during Week 8 of this season. The NFC Championship game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET, from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will be broadcast live on FOX.
When the Green Bay Packers have the ball it’s all about quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have not relied on the running game lately. With Rogers at the helm, the Packers have won eight in a row in order to make the playoffs. Rogers finally threw an interception for the first time in nine games, but there is no doubt that Rodgers is playing on a completely different level right now. Defenses are lining up in nickel knowing that Green Bay isn’t going to run the ball but still can’t stop him. If Atlanta does lines up in nickel, they may see running back Ty Montgomery get the ball more often. Montgomery only has one 100-yard game this year, but Atlanta is weak on stopping the run this year.
The Atlanta Falcons have the NFL’s best scoring offense with quarterback Matt Ryan who is favorite to win the MVP award this season. Ryan is nearly unstoppable with a healthy wide receiver Julio Jones on the field. Julio Jones is one of the best wide receivers in the league but a nagging toe injury seems to have taken away some of his explosiveness.  Jones is averaging 17 yards a reception. In his last five games, he has only one 100-yard game. The Falcons offense are still putting up points without a fully healthy Jones. Offensive Coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, Kyle Shanahan uses his running backs in the passing game which makes this offense difficult to stop. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are constantly matched up against linebackers and they have made defenses pay. Freeman and Coleman combined for 204 total yards and two touchdowns against Seattle last week and half those yards came in the form of receptions. We know the Rogers has been magical lately, but we give Atlanta Falcons the edge to win this game in the end.

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