WHAT WENT RIGHT
The Falcons’ offensive game plan was masterful, and the defense got after Aaron Rodgers. Special teams were stellar, and the Georgia Dome was jacked as Atlanta rolled Green Bay 44-21 to earn the second Super Bowl trip in franchise history.
Most impressively, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was on fire completing 27 of 38 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 23 yards and a score, and wasn’t sacked once. He completed passes to nine players, including nine to wide receiver Julio Jones for 180 yards and two scores.
“We ran into a buzz saw,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. “We couldn’t overcome the pace these guys were playing at.”
WHAT WENT WRONG
A fan ran on the field.
FLYING HIGH
Jones was a nightmare for the Packers, and young cornerback LaDarius Gunter in particular.
“[Offensive coordinator] Kyle [Shanahan] did a great job of dialing up plays all day,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “He stayed aggressive. But at the end of the day, it comes down to Julio making some plays. He … played awesome, was huge for us in critical situations, and showed how great of a player he is.”
FLYING LOW
In a good way. Defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman’s second-quarter sack of Aaron Rodgers was a doozy. The third-year defensive tackle got up-field quickly, but went down while plowing.
No problem. He reached out with his right hand while crawling and just clipped one of Rodgers’ feet, sending him tumbling to the turf.
“I just gave it a little extra oomph,” he said of his lunging play.
The 11-yard loss left third-and-21 from the Green Bay 13 at the two-minute warning.
Rodgers threw deep next, and his pass was intercepted by safety Ricardo Allen.
The Falcons did not have a turnover, and end Tyson Jackson later added the Falcons’ second sack of Rodgers.
BEST PLAY
Jones’ second touchdown reception bumps his first from this category.
On the Falcons’ second offensive play of the second half, Jones pulled free from the hold of Gunter — a flag was thrown — and broke toward the right sideline, catching a laser from Ryan on the way.
Never breaking stride, Jones ran through Gunter’s tackle attempt near the sideline at about Green Bay’s 40 and a few yards later stiff-armed Packers nickel back Demarious Randall before streaking another 25 yards or so down the sideline on a 73-yard scoring play for a 31-0 lead just 1:09 into the second half.
“I guess they were playing just tug-and-hold, which any cornerback is going to do,” Jones said. “They are going to try to … mess up the timing and rhythm the quarterback and receiver has.
“Matt gave me a great ball; he gave me a floater and let me run through the ball. After that, those guys weren’t going to tackle me once I got going.”
WORST PLAY
In motion hard from left to right, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel tried to grab a shotgun snap in the second quarter, but fumbled. He recovered for a three-yard loss. Then, on the ensuing third-and-10 from the Atlanta 40, a Ryan-to-Tevin Coleman pass over the middle picked up eight yards, and Atlanta punted.
BEST CALL
One of Atlanta touchdown passes had to survive review and Ryan’s fourth, a 4-yarder to Devonta Freeman with 4:11 left in the third quarter, needed help from Quinn via challenge.
On third-and-goal, Ryan threw hard over the middle, and Freeman and Green Bay safety Burnett each had a handle on the ball. Officials gave possession to Atlanta, yet marked the ball about 12 inches out from the goal line.
The Falcons went about their business as if they were going to go for it on fourth down, but Quinn threw out the challenge flag in questioning the spot.
After review, officials said that Freeman came down with the ball atop the goal-line, boosting the Falcons’ lead to 37-7.
SECOND-BEST CALL
Facing third-and-1 at the Packers’ 5 with seven seconds and no timeouts left in the first half, Ryan took a shotgun snap and threw immediately to the right side where a lunging Jones hauled in the ball after breaking off Gunter with a sharp cut.
The Falcons led 24-0, although the score had to pass video review.
It was close.
Jones’ left foot came down first, inbound easily. His right foot came down in the end zone, and some replay angles made it appear that his toe might have touched white but it was his toe after the foot had scraped turf.
WORST CALL
After the Packers finally got on the scoreboard with a 2-yard pass from Rodgers to wide receiver Davante Adams to make it 31-7 with 9:19 left in the third quarter, Green Bay fiddled around on the ensuing kickoff.
The Falcons deployed anticipating on onside kick, but it never came after Green Bay was flagged for delay of game on the kickoff.
This was a tough call, made difficult by the fool who ran on the field with 3:33 left in the third quarter only to be wrangled by security personnel and carried off the field horizontally and flailing.
BLASTING AWAY
The two best hits were delivered by rookie nickel back Brian Poole in the second quarter. The first came on third-and-2 from the Packers’ 33.
Poole blitzed from Rodgers’ left as the quarterback slid right. Upon turning to throw short back to the left, Poole was coming hard and blasted the quarterback whose pass to Randall Cobb gained nothing.
Green Bay punted, the Falcons punted, and on the Packers’ next snap, Poole again crushed Rodgers with the game’s hardest hit just as he let go of what became a 9-yard pass to Cobb.
An undrafted rookie out of Florida, Poole led the Falcons with seven tackles, adding the two hurries.
INJURY REPORT
Green Bay rookie safety Kentrell Brice did not return after suffering a shoulder injury while making the tackle on Eric Weems on the opening kickoff. … Falcons center Alex Mack left the game for one play in the second quarter with an apparent left foot injury when Devonta Freeman rolled over it on a stuff running play. …
Green Bay defensive Micah Hyde did not return after a shoulder injury in the second quarter. … Green Bay guard Lane Taylor’s day ended with a knee injury in the second quarter. … Green Bay running back Ty Montgomery was finished after injuring ribs in the third quarter.
Packers linebacker Jake Ryan played no more after tweaking a shoulder tackling Jones in the third quarter. … Green Bay right tackle Bryan Bulaga left the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
The Packers finished the game with defensive lineman Letroy Guion forced to play offensive line.
“It’s never easy to watch players get injured, especially those of a serious nature,” McCarthy said. “Frankly, I’m a little numb to it, and we have to deal with it and overcome it, and today we could not.”
HE SAID IT
“This is an amazing feeling. You’ve got some people who don’t even go to the playoffs in their whole career, and here I am my rookie year going to the Super Bowl!” – Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who had three tackles and a quarterback hurry.
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