The Atlanta Falcons weren’t going to paint it as such, but this was a must-win game against the Green Bay Packers. And win the Falcons did — barely — as Matt Ryan once more delivered in the clutch and bailed out a defense that has turned for the poor again in a 33-32 Sunday thriller, which happened to be one of the better games of the season.
First, on Ryan: The fact that the Packers were down three defensive starters, including two cornerbacks and pass rusher Clay Matthews, can be used against the Falcons QB. But it’s rare to see a game ping-pong like this. The game’s scoring sheet shows just how back and forth it was:
Falcons, Packers, Falcons, Packers, Falcons, Packers, Falcons, Packers, Falcons.
The final “Falcons” was Ryan, who led the team on an 11-play, 75-yard drive in 3:27 to erase a six-point deficit built up by Aaron Rodgers, who was throwing darts on the other side. Matching Rodgers and handling the pressure, Ryan hit Mohamed Sanu for what would be the game-winner from 11 yards out.
When Ryan saw Sanu matched up on linebacker Jake Ryan, it was easy pickings. It would have been easy to force the ball into Julio Jones, who had a mere five targets all game, and maybe the pre-2016 Ryan might have done just that. But the quarterback went with the smart play and led his team to a victory following two tough losses.
That’s MVP-caliber stuff right there. That and his passing line from the game: 28 of 38 for 288 yards and three scores. The fact that the Falcons’ defense was in turnstile mode most of the game didn’t help.
It’s almost easier to count what Rodgers did have on Sunday than what he didn’t. Without Randall Cobb and sudden linchpin Ty Montgomery, tight end Jared Cook and his top two running backs, Rodgers made the most with what was around him. Of course, the Falcons made it too easy on him.
Rodgers’ first TD pass went to old friend Jordy Nelson, who had struggled following the bye and with whom Rodgers’ chemistry had not been vintage. His next TD toss: to undrafted rookie Geronimo Allison, who started training camp near the bottom of the team’s receiving ranks. No. 3 went to Trevor Davis, which was the fifth-round rookie’s third NFL catch. Oh, and the previous two came in this game.
The Falcons offered little resistance early and struggled to keep Rodgers (six rushes, 60 yards) in the pocket. He also threw for four touchdowns and had only three incompletions in the second half prior to the desperation possession in the final 31 seconds.
The Falcons have a young defense that still is growing. The past few weeks they’ve taken a few steps back after some encouraging progress. But the good news is that Atlanta won this game, avoided falling to .500 after a 4-1 start and have Ryan the veteran to bail them out in situations such as these. That’s the biggest difference between him this season and the past few years, when the force-it-to-Julio routine racked up yards but not the commensurate victories.
The Falcons have two straight on the road prior to the bye week, but one of them comes next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a team the Oakland Raiders rolled up more than 600 yards of offense against and one the Falcons shockingly lost to in Week 1 in Atlanta. Here’s thinking Ryan likely won’t let that happen again.
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