Here’s what Falcons players had to say after a 34-20 loss to the Packers Sunday:
VIC BEASLEY, defensive end
On the loss: "It's tough. We had a great game plan. I thought we would come in here and execute it, but it didn't go our way. Things didn't go our way the way we wanted them to. That's just what it is."
On chasing around Aaron Rodgers: "We knew that coming into the game. I've been playing against Aaron Rodgers for three years now. We knew the game play. We knew what it was. He escaped from us a couple of times. We weren't able to put a full game together to get the win."
On the thin line between winning and losing: "We have great players on this team to win every ball. It comes down to execution. The team that executes best is the team that wins. That's what it is at the end of the day."
On fight: "I honestly don't know. I was on the sidelines. I just saw a big crowd of guys."
On the execution problems: "It just comes down to everybody doing their job. Everybody … each team makes mistakes, so it's who makes the most mistakes. Whoever makes the most mistakes is probably going to lose the game. Sometimes things go your way, but normally teams that execute greatly, or great teams and they find themselves in the playoffs."
On the eight defensive penalties: "He's one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Obviously, we knew that coming into this game. It's hard."
On the execution message getting stale: "We understand what's at stake. We understand what we have to do to win. Every team understands that they have to execute to win the ball game. That's what it comes down to. Sometimes things go your way and you have favor. But, a majority of time, the best teams execute at a high level."
JORDAN RICHARDS, safety
On the defense: "We just have to do a better job on early downs and trying to get in better positions on third down. Part of that is timing of the stuff on first and second down, that way, we can give ourselves opportunities on third down to rush the passer and get out of the third-and-3's and 4's. That always helps the defense."
On the defense having four sacks: "There are probably a couple that we left out there, but sacks are a combination of rush and coverage. That's not a defensive line thing. That's not a defensive back problem. That is all of us. So we are going to continue to work at that and make those opportunities count."
SHARROD NEASMAN, safety
On Aaron Rodgers: "Rodgers definitely orchestrates everything that is going on. We have seen that before. It is almost every snap. It is never just go out, line up and run the play. He is doing something that he sees. That is why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league because he goes out there, reads the defense and orchestrates that entire offense."
On the cold weather: "Football is football. We prepared for a bunch of stuff to keep us warm and keep us ready so I don't think that anybody waved just because it was cold out. It comes down to execution. We just have to execute and play better ball."
