2014 Green Bay Packers: Season prediction – Part II

Dec 8, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety

(42) breaks up the pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver

(83) during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 22-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Week 14: Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons

Following up what should be a great duel involving two elite quarterbacks is … another duel involving elite quarterbacks! Some people may question it, but don’t make the mistake in assuming Matt Ryan isn’t elite: he is, without a doubt.

The perception comes from his ‘inability’ to win when it matters and the punt of a season his Falcons threw up last year, but it is a highly misguided and heavily biased view that anyone who pays attention beyond headline media quotations and talking heads will see through fairly easily.

The man wins and he wins a lot, regularly playing on a level most QBs only dream of. Great teammates help obviously, but of course they do; no one man is a 53 man roster by himself here people.

With a player like him, you have to assume they will be at their best, and his best puts up points in bunches. He’s accustomed to having to because of a usually horrid defense, but as long as he is back there he gives his team as good a chance to win as just about anybody. To try throwing him off, Green Bay will need to have a productive pass rush.

The offensive line isn’t great in Atlanta, so it can be done.

Stopping the run game would be great, too, so as to make them stay one-dimensional of offense; that doesn’t make it too much easier to shut them down, but letting the pass rush have free reign without fear of an RB gashing them underneath would be more ideal.

The Julio Jones–Roddy White WR combo is one of the league’s best, but if anyone has the talent to keep up with that, Green Bay does. Slowing them and making a big play or two against them when they are targeted would go a long way to handing the Packers a decisive edge.

As for the offense, it can’t be guaranteed that the Packers will blow the doors off the Falcons defense … but it would be a pretty good bet.

They’ve added some free agents and more draft picks to improve it, but the main pickups look more like run-game help. Having that aspect slowed down isn’t ideal, but either way the pass defense looks pretty inviting at this point anyway.

Putting the ball in Rodgers’ hands and having him pick them apart with Nelson and Cobb sounds like a great game plan. Just add in some of Lacy and the run-game to keep them honest and Green Bay should be able to win another highly contested quarterback showdown at Lambeau.

Green Bay 27
Atlanta 23