Packers: Five players key to victory in Week 4 vs. Falcons
By Jesse Fry
Five players the Packers need to beat the Falcons.
Coming off a big Sunday night win against the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers look to close out the first quarter of their season with a win against the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta is sitting at 0-3 but could very well be 2-1 if not for two major let-downs against the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. To say the Falcons need this one would be an understatement. Yes, it it still only Week 4, but the Falcons need this one for more than just their win percentage. The Falcons need this one for their psyche and maybe for the job of their head coach Dan Quinn.
Losing two weeks in a row is one thing, losing two weeks in a row blowing double-digit fourth-quarter leads is another.
To make matters worse, the Falcons started this week with several key players missing or limited in practice.
Dropping to 0-4 would pretty much be a death blow to Atlanta’s playoff hopes even with an expanded field this season.
The Packers are red hot with a record of 3-0 and have the highest scoring offense in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones are making cases for Offensive Player of the Year, if not Most Valuable Player, while it looks like the team might be getting their best wide receiver back this week as Davante Adams is practicing on a limited basis.
The new isn’t all good though; it looks like Allen Lazard may miss several weeks after core muscle surgery. That may not matter as Rodgers is playing at the top of his game while Jones and the run game looks like it may be able to carry the team if need be.
Things look like they are in the Packers’ favor. But this is the NFL and no team should ever be overlooked.
Atlanta is desperate and desperation can cause crazy things to happen. This could be seen as a trap game in every sense of the phrase. Green Bay is coming off a big win and has their bye week following this week’s game.
The Packers will need all hands on deck to avoid the trap, but I feel these five will be the difference.