Green Bay/Atlanta: Who will win? Who do we want to win?

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

I think we're going to have our hands full with Pittsburgh. Their defense is much improved with that young LB they have. He was their #1 pick last year who struggled w/injuries but he's emerged as a Big Time Player. Plus....how long can one team continually get the better of the other? This is going to be a tough game.

But as to the original posters question. How can you not root for a Brady/Rogers matchup? I realize Atlanta probably seems like the easier route to the championship but a Brady/Rogers matchup when both are at the top of their respective games would be a dream matchup. They've only faced off once in their entire careers.

My wish list is definitely Green Bay. We might not win but it would be epic.....And if we did win...

HUGE!!!

17 and counting... Ask Miami, Buffalo and NY...

If you look stats, Atl D is better regarding pass D and worse against the run. But Atl has a better TO
differential and their O is way better. So i can't see why GB gets all this love except for Rodgers hype. IMO he was outplayed last game (Prescott was really good)

 

[moejr]

17 and counting... Ask Miami, Buffalo and NY...

If you look stats, Atl D is better regarding pass D and worse against the run. But Atl has a better TO
differential and their O is way better. So i can't see why GB gets all this love except for Rodgers hype. IMO he was outplayed last game (Prescott was really good)

Dak had a higher QB rating than Rodgers. That kid gave everything he had and brought that team back from an 18 point deficit. Gotta give him kudos there

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Too many Packer's friends to not pull for them.

No surprise to anyone: I lean to it was not so much the Packers are hot (they are) as much as the Cowboys choked last weekend. I give Atlanta a slight edge.

Hopefully, your Packers fans are less oblivious than the Packers fans I know. To a person, they are still living in the past...and I don't just mean "Brett Favre" past...and argue with a straight face that Rodgers is ahead of Brady on lists of the All Time Greats.

 

[Dagg]

I picked ATL but both teams are dangerous. ATL I feel has a better chance of getting overwhelmed by the big stage IMO (superbowl). Coach is pretty new and not alot of deep playoff experience vs GB.

 

[TennisBallHead]

If it was certain the Pats would win, obviously I'd want GB. But Ryan isn't mobile, and if the Pats did lose, I'd rather lose to the Falcons and their six fans rather than listen to the Rodgers commentary.

 

[PatsDeb]

Okay - here's my selfish answer. If we can get to the SB and win it, I want Green Bay because I would love to see TFB beat Aaron Rogers in the big game. However, if we can't get there, or we can't beat GB, then I want Atlanta so the NFL doesn't have great ratings and maybe some yokels like me can get tickets to the big game. How's that for a homer answer?

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[TinhWoodhead]

if the packers win, i want rodgers to have a really bad game: say 25/45, 3 ints, 0 td

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Matt Ryan has actually outplayed Aaron Rodgers lately

[Click Here For Full Entry]

Aaron Rodgers has recaptured the imagination of the football world with an eight-game run for the ages. After predicting that his Green Bay Packers could "run the table" following a 4-6 start, Rodgers has elevated his game to heights rarely seen in NFL history. He has produced gasp-inducing throws and eye-popping pocket presence to lead his team to the NFC Championship Game.

With that said, can I share a little secret?

There is another NFL quarterback who has matched Rodgers throw for throw, from a statistical perspective, during that span. In some regards, the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan -- the presumptive league MVP and Green Bay's opponent Sunday -- might actually have performed better than Rodgers.

Let's take a closer look at the numbers, derived with help from research by ESPN Stats & Information senior statistics analyst Jacob Nitzberg, since the Packers' winning streak began in Week 12.​

 

[Keyser Söze]

Prettty obvious it's best for our defense to face Ryan.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

The Falcons have a young, fast, very athletic defense that might very well be a difference maker on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers

The Speedy Evolution of the Falcons Defense

[Click Here For Full Entry]

On a February morning in 2015, not long after Dan Quinn was hired as the 16th head coach in Atlanta Falcons history, the team’s scouting staff shared a similar gridiron worldview — that finding exceptional athletes who could cause and negate matchup problems should take precedence over everything else.

In the two years since, nearly all of Atlanta’s personnel moves have fit that philosophy. That began in earnest in the 2015 draft, when the Falcons took Clemson pass rusher Vic Beasley — and his 4.53-second 40-yard dash time — with the eighth overall pick. The approach hasn’t changed. From snapping up players like running back Tevin Coleman (4.39 in the 40; in the 94th percentile at the position) and linebacker Deion Jones (4.59; 83rd) to signing free agents like wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (4.28; math does not compute), the Falcons have hoarded speed at every turn.

In the 2016 NFL Draft, the Falcons targeted two rookies with different styles and shapes by design. With his initial quickness and change-of-direction skills, Jones is an ideal fit for sticking with running backs. With an uncommon build and length for a linebacker, Campbell is a nuisance for hulking tight ends used to bullying shorter defenders. Atlanta’s offense morphed into the most lethal group in football largely because it assembled an arsenal of weapons with varied strengths, allowing coordinator Kyle Shanahan to attack teams in every way imaginable. Atlanta’s goal in building its defense was the same, only inverted. In adding Jones, Campbell, and Neal, the Falcons were trying to protect against any type of matchup or personnel package that could be used against them.

In Atlanta’s win over the Seahawks last week, the median age of its 11 most-used defenders was 24. Seven of those guys — Beasley, Campbell, Jones, Neal, tackle Grady Jarrett, and cornerbacks Brian Poole and Jalen Collins — are in their first or second seasons in the NFL.

The learning curve has been steep. Atlanta’s overall progression is such that even after losing star cornerback Desmond Trufant to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 9, the pass defense got better. From Week 1 to Week 9, the Falcons were 23rd in pass defense DVOA; from that point, they were 11th (ending at 19th on the season). Quinn’s belief is that time has transformed Atlanta’s defense to the point that it bears little resemblance to the one Rodgers carved up for 246 passing yards with four touchdowns the day before Halloween.

The Falcons still have glaring flaws on this side of the ball (they were dead last in run-defense DVOA over the second half of the season — a byproduct of their smaller, sleeker approach). But in the areas that should matter most against the Packers, they’ve grown by leaps and bounds. With the regular season in the rearview, Quinn’s youthful bunch has begun to match its play speed to its timed speed. If the Falcons have any prayer of slaying the dragon that is Rodgers, it’ll be a product of their commitment to getting fast — in a hurry. ​

 

[Keyser Söze]

It would be 2 weeks of hell hearing about Rodgers if they make it. No thanks

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[Luxusdk]

Before the season started, i bet 100 on a SB between Packers and Patriots.
So for me this one is easy

Winning 2600 if they meat in the big dance.

 

[luuked]

Before the season started, i bet 100 on a SB between Packers and Patriots.
So for me this one is easy

Winning 2600 if they meat in the big dance.

Don't feel like checking out early and getting some insurance ?

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

It would be 2 weeks of hell hearing about Rodgers if they make it. No thanks

I read this same exact comment on another message board not long ago. Except take out rodgers name and put brady lol. Me personally it wouldn't bother me. I don't mind hearing people talk about the greatness of another non pats player. That has never bothered me.

 

[BostonWolverine]

Super Bowl LI will be Patriots Vs Falcons, you heard it here first folks

Well considering both teams are favored, I don't think you are making a bold prediction there.