Packers look to keep their offense hot vs a struggling Atlanta team

The Packers are 3-0 and looking for more as they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.

The Packers improved to 3-0 after their thrilling 37-30 win at New Orleans while the Falcons are 0-3 after an opening week loss to the Seahawks and blowing huge leads to the Cowboys and Bears the next two weeks.

QB Matt Ryan has an MVP Award and is putting up decent stats so far this season. RB Todd Gurley II is still capable of having a huge game, especially if the score is close. It is unclear whether WR Julio Jones will play as he is questionable, but we all know how much of a difference he makes in this entire offense. Calvin Ridley has put up some big numbers so the Packers still have a huge task ahead of them trying to slow down this offense. They can’t allow Ryan to get comfortable back there. If he does, he will probably make things very tough on the Packers’ defense.

Aaron Rodgers continues to make plays, even without Davante Adams in the lineup. Allen Lazard gave the Packers what they needed without Adams, but even though it’s possible that Adams may be back, they might be without Lazard for a while, which is too bad since he was just starting to get into a groove with Rodgers. Atlanta is last in the league in scoring defense and they seem to get worse as the game goes on. I’m sure the Falcons will try to give the Packers some different looks, but if the Packers take care of business on their end, they shouldn’t have much of a problem.

The Falcons had chances to win the last two weeks but they played very sloppy and undisciplined in the fourth quarter. Against the Cowboys, they had a chance to recover an onside kick by Dallas and let it go 10 yards before a Cowboy player jumped on the ball. Had the Falcons recovered, they would have run out the clock. Against the Bears, they had a 26-10 lead and blew it. Their offense put no pressure on the Bears, going three-and-out and taking very little time off the clock. That allowed backup (probably now starter moving forward) Nick Foles to rally the Bears and take the lead. They could be tied for the lead in their division but they are in last place.

This is a classic trap game for the Packers. Atlanta doesn’t have a good record but they have talented players who can come up huge. I hate to bring back bad memories but last year, the Packers started out 3-0 and then hosted a struggling team in the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles came into Lambeau Field on a Thursday night and left with a shocking victory. The Packers didn’t play like the team that won their first three games on that night. They need to be ready vs the Falcons on Monday night.

Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan have both been on the side of some great victories and crushing defeats when the two teams played each other. Sometimes they played in the regular season and those games determined which stadium any potential playoff matchup would be played. They both appeared in one Super Bowl and in both instances, the quarterback of one of these teams got past the other on their way to the Super Bowl. The Packers dominated the Falcons in the NFC Divisional Playoff Round on their road to Super Bowl XLV while the Falcons won the NFC Championship Game vs the Packers to reach Super Bowl LI.

The difference of course is that the Packers won their Super Bowl while the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead and lost to the New England Patriots. As tough as these blown leads are for the Falcons this year, none of them will match the heartbreak any of the players and fans faced on that February evening.

Another reason why this could be a trap game is because the Packers will have a bye week after playing this one on Monday night. They can’t be looking ahead. There is still work left to be done before they can think about what to do during their week off.

I would like to see the Packers dominate early and get a few scores ahead. They are playing a team who is reeling right now after two blown leads and they can’t let up at all. Let the Falcons know early that this will not be their night. I think the Falcons will come out and make some good plays but the Packers will make more. I see the Packers winning by at least two scores. There will once again be no fans in the stands but we can show our support and make our voices heard elsewhere. Let’s get this victory and head into the bye week undefeated.

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901