Packers Periscope: Week 4 vs Atlanta Falcons

The Packers and Falcons will meet on Monday NIght Football in week four. 

Trap game or no trap game, the Green Bay Packers can’t look past the Atlanta Falcons in week four. While Atlanta maybe 0-3, they have led in every contest this season. In the last two weeks, they have led by double-digit points in the fourth quarter before falling apart and accepting devastating losses. The Falcons are a talented football team that can’t seem to get out of their own way. On Monday night the Packers will hope to avoid handing Matt LaFleur's former team an inaugural win and taking their first loss in 2020.

Including playoffs, Green Bay leads the all-time series against the Falcons 18-16 but has lost three out of the last four meetings. However, this week’s game is on Monday Night Football, where the Packers have won six of the last seven games.

The last time these two teams saw each other was in 2018 when they were both below .500. It was the team’s first game with Joe Philbin as the head coach, and they gifted him a 34-20 win before finishing the season 6-9-1 and missing the playoffs in consecutive years.

Green Bay has done a much better job rebounding since that meeting from a couple of years ago. The Falcons are still looking for their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2017. The offense has consistently finished in the top 10, but the defense can’t seem to hold up their end. Sound familiar?

This year, Atlanta’s defense has once again been the root of their destruction. Currently ranked last in scoring defense, the Falcons are second to last in total defense as well. Desperate for a win, they couldn’t be trying to gather themselves against a worst opponent. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense are on a path of destruction and are the top-ranked team in terms of scoring. The winner of the last five meetings between Green Bay and Atlanta has scored at least 30 points, and the Packers have already proven they don’t mind a shootout.

Julio Jones returned to practice this week after being held out of last week’s game against the Chicago Bears. The Falcons led 26-10 at one point during that contest before surrendering 20 unanswered points.

Green Bay’s defense will have to key in on Jones who always seems to give them trouble. They also have to worry about Atlanta’s new running back, Todd Gurley. Gurley last faced the Packers in 2018 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He finished that game with 114 rushing yards on 25 attempts and six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown in a winning effort.

Sure, Green Bay’s offense may be ready to outgun a low-spirited Falcons team, but it would be encouraging for the defense to put together a complete game. In every matchup this season, they have failed to play consistently through all four quarters. Naturally, expectations will be low as they face a talented trio of Matt Ryan, Jones, and Gurley. There’s also third-year wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who is already up to 21 receptions, 349 yards, and four touchdowns on the year. Ridley was held out of Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury just as Jones returned. However, Ridley returned to practice on Friday, giving a good indication he will play this week.

Meanwhile, the Packers are dealing with trouble at wide receiver themselves. Davante Adams has a chance to return after missing last week’s game, but Allen Lazard is now dealing with a core injury that will sideline him indefinitely. Aaron Rodgers didn’t have his top receiver in last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints and now won’t have his second option for multiple weeks.

If things work out and Green Bay comes away with a win in week four, it will be their first 4-0 start since 2015. Momentum will be on their side heading into the bye week, however, there’s no telling what a loss would do to this team’s psyche with an entire week to let it stew. Something tells me they would be fine because of their great leadership, but it’s best to go out there on Monday and take care of business against an inferior opponent.

 

 

 

Brandon Carwile is a Packers writer who also enjoys watching and breaking down film. Follow him on Twitter @PackerScribe.

3 points
 

Comments (9)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Bearmeat's picture

October 02, 2020 at 03:29 pm

The Falcons passing attack is going to get theirs. Their OL is playing well and Ryan is responding. Gurley is getting what is there and no more. His balky knee has diminished him from something special to extraordinarily... ordinary. We need to make them 1 dimensional in this game.

The Falcons defense sucks. They don't do one thing well. They have some players (Jackson, McKinley is ok) but they're not coordinated or coached well, or they hate the coaches or something. It's not there.

In a high scoring game, GB SHOULD roll, even without every injured Packer that could miss the game. But stranger things have happened....

2 points
3
1
BBlake's picture

October 02, 2020 at 03:46 pm

The Packers can't take the Falcons lightly. Matt Ryan currently has more passing yards than Wilson, Rodgers and Mahomes. Add in Todd Gurley, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley against an inconsistent Pettine-led Packers defense and the Packers need to come to play.

Play to win, don't beat yourselves.

3 points
3
0
Coldworld's picture

October 02, 2020 at 04:44 pm

If we don’t revive Gurley’s career we should be fine. He is a lot less elusive than Kamara, which should help. Jones may play, but how fit will he be. In any case, we are built for this type of team more so than NO. Collapse the pocket, attack the edges and let the LBs gang tackle Gurley with the rest in coverage.

3 points
3
0
CAG123's picture

October 02, 2020 at 08:27 pm

Half of that came in week one against the Seahawks a game they were getting stomped in he piled up some garbage time yardage and they still lost by 13 he’s been pretty average since.

2 points
2
0
fansince1959's picture

October 02, 2020 at 07:09 pm

Now w/o Lazard and possibly Adams, this game scares the heck out of me----and our top 3 draft picks may sit----perhaps the "experts" were correct about not drafting a receiver----let's hope another unknown steps up---i also don't understand why they don't use Dillon on those short yardage at the goal line plays

0 points
2
2
peter394's picture

October 03, 2020 at 12:20 am

great work.

1 points
1
0
cheesehead1's picture

October 03, 2020 at 11:02 am

Don’t overlook the Falcons, time for some progress with our D.

1 points
1
0
PatrickGB's picture

October 03, 2020 at 03:22 pm

It’s going to be interesting to see how some of the receivers step up with our #1 and #2 WR down. Also I am encouraged by Keke and Summers stepping up as backups. I expect to see more from our TE’s and running game. Like others have said. I think it will probably be a high scoring game.

2 points
2
0
stockholder's picture

October 04, 2020 at 08:49 am

The Wrs only need to stretch the field now. I expect the TEs and Rbs to have another big game.

1 points
1
0