Five players to watch for Packers Week 14 vs. Falcons
By Jesse Fry
Five players to watch for the Green Bay Packers in Week 14.
With all the attention being paid to who might be the next coach of the Green Bay Packers, we must not forget we still have four games to play.
Up next is a matchup against an equally disappointing team in the Atlanta Falcons (4-8).
It was just two short years ago these two teams were playing for the right to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Now these two teams are playing for pride and draft positioning.
These two teams are almost mirror images of each other. Each team has been hit hard by injuries and inconsistent play.
Both teams are led by over-30 former MVPs, who despite decent numbers have not had the year many expected. The offense of the Falcons, much like that of the Packers, has struggled to find any rhythm.
Also like the Packers, the defense of the Falcons has been torn apart by injuries, especially in the secondary. The Falcons have lost both starting safeties and just got Deion Jones back from injured reserve.
Despite their record and struggles this season the Falcons are still a very dangerous team. Julio Jones is one of the best receivers to ever play and an athletic freak. Calvin Ridley is a promising rookie who has been the perfect complement to Jones and Mohamed Sanu, while Austin Hooper has come into his own.
This offense can put up points in bunches when executing right.
On defense the Falcons have former league-leader in sacks Vic Beasley and up-and-coming Takk McKinley anchoring the pass rush, with Desmond Trufant being the lead man in the secondary. One thing that is not lacking on the Falcons defense is speed.
Atlanta is another warm weather dome team coming to Lambeau to play in the cold, which should give the Packers an advantage. But as we all saw last week, that means little to the 2018 Packers.
As for the Packers, this is a team that must respond to their coach getting fired. With not much else to play for, they must show they are a team with pride and character and show effort these remaining games.
With that in mind, here are five players to watch against the Falcons.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is the player to watch in the wake of Mike McCarthy’s departure. President Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst have stated Rodgers had nothing to do with the firing.
While that may be true to some degree, Rodgers’ play, body language and lack of support for his former coach says otherwise.
Whether this was something Rodgers wanted or not, all the pressure is now on him.
Rodgers has only thrown one interception all year and is on a Packers record streak of consecutive passes thrown without a pick. However, Rodgers has thrown more balls away and misfired more than any other time in his career.
Every time Rodgers has been criticized in the past he has responded with stellar play. He has faced more criticism this year than in any other year, but has yet to pull out that vintage Rodgers performance. Maybe McCarthy getting fired is the act that brings it out of him.