Green Bay Packers: Top five reasons the meltdown in Atlanta should be no surprise

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) runs for a touchdown against Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarious Randall (23) during the third quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) runs for a touchdown against Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarious Randall (23) during the third quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy needs a deeper roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy needs a deeper roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

#1. They simply ran out of gas

From 4-6 to the NFC Championship game. Green Bay played in a playoff game for nine straight weeks.

The last two weeks of that stretch took them to Dallas and Atlanta. One simply can’t put into words how physically and mentally exhausting that must be.

A must-win game for nine straight weeks. That is just mind boggling. The fact they even reached the NFC Championship is an amazing accomplishment in itself.

The overall lack of talent on the roster required Aaron Rodgers to be Super,man. If Aaron Rodgers had a good day for most quarterbacks, it wouldn’t be enough for the Packers to win. He said the goal was to run the regular season table at 4-6. That goal was accomplished.

Nearly the entire secondary entered the game on the injury report. The primary back was a second-year wide receiver. Jordy Nelson was playing the game with two broken ribs, while wearing a Kevlar protector.

Uncharacteristic turnovers and it even appeared the MVP from the divisional round, Mason Crosby, had indeed run out of gas.

Next: Is the heat rising on Ted Thompson?

Every sign pointed to the Packers coming to the end of the journey and it took a superior team on a day when everything went in the home team’s favor for the Atlanta to make it happen. That team provided just too much at the wrong time.