Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
DJ Gallo

NFC championship game: Green Bay Packers 21-44 Atlanta Falcons – as it happened

Julio Jones escapes the attentions of Green Bay
Julio Jones escapes the attentions of Green Bay. Photograph: John David Mercer/USA Today Sports

Thank you for following along with the liveblog of Falcons-Packers. Hunter Felt will have you for the liveblog of Patriots-Steelers.

You can get that: here.

The Atlanta Falcons are going to the Super Bowl!

Time expires and the Falcons win their second-ever NFC title game, 44-21.

Matt Ryan was outstanding from the very start and threw for 4 TDs and ran for another. But the Atlanta defense was dominant, as well, pressuring Aaron Rodgers all day.

Either Pittsburgh or New England will have its hands full in Houston.

Falcons 44-21 Packers, 1:39 4th quarter

It’s still not officially over, but Aaron Rodgers has been pulled for Brett Hundley and the Falcons just gave head coach Dan Quinn a Gatorade shower. So it’s over.

It’s not official yet, but the Falcons are going to the Super Bowl. Remember what happened to them the last night they made it to the big game in 1999:

Some Atlanta Falcon players said today that they were not surprised when their teammate, Eugene Robinson, was arrested on a charge of soliciting a prostitute in a seedy section of Miami the night before Super Bowl XXXIII. After all, some of them said, other Falcons had been there several times for the same purpose. “Guys had been going there all week,” a Falcon starter said.

Falcons 44-21 Packers, 2:43 4th quarter

Hey, the Packers stopped the Falcons for the second time in the game! They’re punting from the 40. The Packers fair catch it at the 4. This doesn’t even make the Top 10 of dumb things they’ve done in this game.

Falcons 44-21 Packers, 5:10 4th quarter

Freeman churns forward on the ground to give the Falcons a first down at the 40. The clock is burning away now. This will be over soon and the Packers will get to fly back to their fogged-over town.

Falcons 44-21 Packers, 6:43 4th quarter

Another onside try by Green Bay ... another recovery by Sanu. Atlanta ball at the 50. There is 6 minutes and 43 seconds left of this torture for the Packers.

Touchdown Packers!

Falcons 44-21 Packers, 6:43 4th quarter

Rodgers hits Cook in the left side of the end zone for another TD, then the Packers fail on the 2-point attempt.

The points line for this game was 60, in case any of you are into that kind of thing.

Falcons 44-15 Packers, 6:52 4th quarter

Lots of penalties to catch up on. Rodgers got a personal foul penalty for ripping a helmet off a defender’s head (accidentally?) while running on 3rd down. Then Atlanta responded with a pass interference in the end zone.

Green Bay now has a 1st down at the 1.

Falcons 44-15 Packers, 7:50 4th quarter

Packers facing 3rd and goal at the 7. They’re not showing a ton of urgency with the clock, more evidence they’ve already checked out.

Falcons 44-15 Packers, 10:00 4th quarter

Rodgers hits Reggie Cobb downfield for 33 yards -- with the Falcons in full prevent mode -- to give Green Bay a new set of downs at the Atlanta 29.

Falcons 44-15 Packers, 10:35 4th quarter

Rodgers is sacked by Tyson Jackson on 3rd and 10 and now Green Bay will go for it on 4th-and-13 from their own 37.

Touchdown Falcons!

Falcons 44-15 Packers, 12:07 4th quarter

Tevin Coleman runs around the left side for 3 yards, untouched, to cap Atlanta’s fourth straight TD drive. It’s the first Atlanta TD not thrown or run in by Matt Ryan.

Falcons 37-15 Packers, 14:05 4th quarter

Facing 3rd-and-1 at the 25, Atlanta powers it through the Green Bay line for a new set of downs. The Packers look like they’ve given up after the onside kick didn’t work out.

End of the 3rd quarter: Falcons 37-15 Packers

Falcons will open the final quarter with a 2nd-and-9 at the Green Bay 32.

There are now only nine quarters left in the NFL season.

Falcons 37-15 Packers, 0:25 3rd quarter

Green Bay tries an onside kick, but Mohamed Sanu snatched it and runs it down to the Green Bay 33. They’re already in field goal range. The Packers might not win this game.

Touchdown Packers!

Falcons 37-15 Packers, 0:38 3rd quarter

Rodgers hits Jordy Nelson on a slant for the TD. The Packers went for 2 points and picked it up on a Ripkowski plunge.

Falcons 37-7 Packers, 1:34 3rd quarter

Rodgers runs again, down to the 7, and the Packers long drive continues. They’re eating a lot of clock, which is totally what you want to do if you are not trailing by 30.

Falcons 37-7 Packers, 2:44 3rd quarter

Green Bay goes for it on 4th-and-2 from the 39 and ... Rodgers runs around the right side to get down to the 31.

Falcons 37-7 Packers, 3:33 3rd quarter

Rodgers throws well short of another receiver and gets picked off ... but it’s being reviewed and it looks like the ball hit the turf first.

Update: The ruling is incomplete. Green Bay will have 3rd-and-10.

Updated

Falcons 37-7 Packers, 3:33 3rd quarter

Aaron Rodgers runs for 28 yards to give the Packers a first down at the Atlanta 47. This is the game we all expected between two great running QBs.

Updated

Touchdown Falcons!

Falcons 37-7 Packers, 4:05 3rd quarter

Review comes in: it’s a TD for the Falcons.

Matt Ryan now has 371 yards for 4 TDs ... and that rushing TD thanks to his foot speed.

Packers stay within 30 thanks to a missed extra point.

Updated

Falcons 31-7 Packers, 4:05 3rd quarter

Devonta Freeman just made a nice grab across the middle at the goal line. Refs called him short, setting up 4th down. But it looks like he may have cracked the plane and Atlanta is challenging.

Either way, it’s unlikely Atlanta will kick. A TD definitely puts the game away, while turning the ball over on downs gives Green Bay the ball with 100 yards to go to get within 18 points with about 18 minutes to play. Win-win.

Updated

Falcons 31-7 Packers, 6:28 3rd quarter

Falcons now have a 1st down at the 2-yard line after a Green Bay pass interference in the end zone. The rout is back on.

Updated

Falcons 31-7 Packers, 8:37 3rd quarter

Atlanta has a 1st down at the Green Bay 42 after an outstanding grab by Julio Jones.

Some interesting Matt Ryan facts from today:

  • He now has 3 TD passes in four straight playoff games, the first QB in NFL history to do that
  • He’s leading all players in rushing yards today with 23
  • MATT RYAN IS LEADING ALL PLAYERS IN RUSHING YARDS TODAY WITH 23! MATT RYAN!

Touchdown, Packers!

Falcons 31-7 Packers, 9:19 3rd quarter

The Packers are finally on the board thanks to Rodgers hitting Davante Adams for 2 yards on the left side. Twenty-four points was also the halftime deficit, so the Packers have gotten no closer since the half ... they’re just down to 24 minutes to make a comeback instead of 30.

Updated

Falcons 31-0 Packers, 9:23 3rd quarter

Atlanta takes a timeout with the Packers down to the 2-yard line on 3rd down.

This deficit isn’t on Rodgers, but he also hasn’t played well and has been off the mark on numerous passes. Maybe it’s the illness. Maybe it’s that he’s just not good. (That last sentence submitted by Skip Bayless.)

Updated

Falcons 31-0 Packers, 11:00 3rd quarter

Christine Michael runs it down to the 32 for a first down. Packers should at least get some points on the scoreboard this drive.

Falcons 31-0 Packers, 12:09 3rd quarter

Facing 3rd and 12 from their own 33, Rodgers hits Jared Cook for 13 across the middle for a first down. The bleeding is briefly stopped.

Updated

Falcons 31-0 Packers, 13:20 3rd quarter

Montgomery carries the ball for Green Bay to the 35. Aaron Rodgers now has 0 completions in his last 6 attempts with 1 interception in the mix, as well.

Updated

Here is the outstanding catch and run by Jones:

He now has 7 catches for 144 yards and 2 TDs. There is approximately half the game still to play.

Life comes at you fast.

Touchdown, Falcons!

Falcons 31-0 Packers, 13:51 3rd quarter

Julio Jones just took a pass for 73 yards into the end zone. And this game is over. Hahaha, no ... you should still follow this liveblog. Okay? Please.

Updated

Falcons 24-0 Packers, 14:46 3rd quarter

Packers go three and out. Drop, incompletion and then another drop -- although it would have been a tough catch -- by Cook again. That bit of complete failure took 14 seconds of game time.

Updated

Falcons 24-0 Packers, 14:58 3rd quarter

A wide open Jared Cook drops a pass on their first play. Interesting start.

Updated

Second half is underway!

Green Bay opens with the ball on their own 25. They could use some points. You’re welcome for the analysis.

Reasons to keep watching this game:

1) The Packers have Aaron Rodgers and therefore have at least a tiny chance to comeback.

2) If the Falcons blow yet another massive lead in an NFC title game, they’ll probably have to fold the franchise immediately in humiliation. You wouldn’t want to miss seeing that kind of history.

Tom Brady can probably stop watching and prepare for his game now.

Here’s the TD that Atlanta scored before the half:

So where to start with the mismatched stats from the first half? Here are just some:

  • Matt Ryan has 271 passing yards and 2 TDs (in addition to one running) to Aaron Rodgers’ 119 and 1 INT.
  • Time of possession is 20:02 to 9:58.
  • Total yards are 325 to 127.
  • Plays of 10-plus yards are 15-5.

The only things Green Bay is leading in are turnovers (1-0) and sad faces (53-0).

Halftime: Falcons 24-0 Packers

And, really, I’d say the scoreboard makes it look closer than it has been.

Touchdown, Falcons!

Falcons 24-0 Packers, 0:03 2nd quarter

With 7 seconds left on 3rd down with no timeouts, Ryan threads one to Julio Jones in the right side of the end zone for a huge halftime lead.

Sooooooo ... what should we do during the second half of the liveblog? Talk about current events?

Updated

Falcons 17- 0 Packers, 0:11 2nd quarter

Matt Ryan runs down to the five for 9 yards. When did Matt Ryan become a running threat? Today, apparently.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 0:40 2nd quarter

First down to Taylor Gabriel at the 32 on a great catch. He previously had a drop when he was wide open. Now he reels one in with a DB draped all over him.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 0:56 2nd quarter

Ryan heaved a high and deep ball into the end zone into four Packers and somehow none of the Packers came down with it. Incomplete.

Falcons have 3rd-and-10 at midfield.

Updated

Aaron Rodgers gets intercepted!

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 1:50 2nd quarter

Rodgers, in Hail Mary mode, throws it deep to Jordy Nelson, but the pass was nowhere near Nelson and the Falcons reel it in and takeover at their own 32.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 2:00 2nd quarter

Rodgers gets sacked at the 12, tripped up by a hand grazing his foot and the Packers are facing 3rd-and-21 from their own 13.

If Atlanta stops them, they’ll have plenty of time to extend their lead before the half.

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 3:05 2nd quarter

Green Bay picks up 8 yards on a pass to Nelson. Rodgers got absolutely drilled after letting it go. There was no flag, which is rare to see when a high-profile QB (who isn’t Cam Newton) gets hammered.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 3:15 2nd quarter

Green Bay finally forces Atlanta to punt. Although it was kind of Atlanta forcing Atlanta to punt: on 2nd down, they snapped the ball off the leg of Tevin Coleman in motion, leading to a loss on the play after recovering the loose ball.

The Packers will start their drive on their own 10.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 5:22 2nd quarter

Atlanta opens their drive with a 20-yard pass to Tevin Coleman to get out to the 40. This is an embarrassment so far for Green Bay.

Updated

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 6:48 2nd quarter

Green Bay goes three-and-out and will punt the ball away.

The biggest comeback in NFC title game history was 4 years ago when the 49ers came back from 17 to beat ... the Falcons ... in Atlanta. But Aaron Rodgers is no Colin Kaepernick. (Check your aunt’s Facebook feed to confirm this.)

Let’s check in on the @Packers Twitter mentions!

Going great!

We’re not halfway through the game yet and the Packers have given up big gains to Matt Ryan and Patrick DiMarco. That’s not so good.

Touchdown, Falcons!

Falcons 17-0 Packers, 7:24 2nd quarter

Matt Ryan just ran in for a 13-yard TD. Matt Ryan. He’s not exactly Steve Young or Mike Vick.

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 7:31 2nd quarter

Yikes. Green Bay’s secondary is getting shredded. On 3rd-and-4, Ryan hits Jones wide open to get the ball down to the 14. Mike McCarthy is doing that thing where he just stares at the field.

Atlanta got the ball on the 20 after this recovery. Should they have?

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 8:42 2nd quarter

Two plays later, Ryan hits Sanu for a 1st down at the 33. Sanu now has 52 yards and Jones 44.

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 10:05 2nd quarter

Twenty more yards to Julio Jones on play-action. Atlanta down to the 43 and Green Bay is starting to back into the ropes.

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 10:27 2nd quarter

Opening their drive at the 20, Ryan hits Julio Jones for 17 yards out to the 37. And they’re off again.

Fumble, Packers!

Well, so much for that drive the Packers needed.

Fullback Aaron Ripkowski fumbles on a run up the middle and Atlanta recovers. Green Bay was at least in easy field goal range and now they come away with nothing and give the ball to an Atlanta offense they haven’t stopped yet. Uh-oh.

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 11:10 2nd quarter

On 3rd-and-4, Green Bay picks up a new set of downs at the 23 on a quick slant by Jared Cook. Packers getting the drive they needed.

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 13:35 2nd quarter

Big start to the second quarter by Green Bay with a 22-yard gain to Randall Cobb out to the 44. Then, on the next play, Rodgers rolls out right and hits Cobb for 22 more yards. Green Bay ball down to the Atlanta 34 already.

End of the 1st quarter: Falcons 10-0 Packers

Green Bay ended the quarter on a 2-yard pass to Montgomery to get out to the 22.

The 10-point deficit is Green Bay’s largest since their 8-game win streak started.

Field goal, Falcons!

Falcons 10-0 Packers, 0:17 1st quarter

Matt Bryant connects on a chip shot and the Falcons up their early lead. That stop by the Packer defense will help Green Bay fans RELAX.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 0:17 1st quarter

The Packers finally hold on third down and the Falcons will have to try a field goal. Matt Ryan slips to 34-of-40 on 3rd down passes in his last 4-plus games. Sad!

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 1:02 1st quarter

Coleman picks up another first down on a reception out of the backfield. Ryan has already hit six different receivers.

Falcons moving the ball with ease. Now down to the Green Bay 12.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 2:35 1st quarter

Ryan hits Austin Hooper out in the flat several yards short of the 1st down line, but he evades a tackle and then runs it all the way down to the Green Bay 37. Packers D looking ... very much like the Packers D so far.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 4:05 1st quarter

A 15 yard pass to Sanu gets Atlanta a 1st down out to the 45. He already has three catches and a TD. He’s definitely not a Bengal anymore.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 5:01 1st quarter

Atlanta gets a false start penalty to open their drive and then Freeman only picks up a couple yards on a run on 1st-and-15.

NFL kickers were 33-for-33 in the playoff this year before that Crosby miss.

Mason Crosby misses field goal!

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 5:35 1st quarter

Huge two plays in Atlanta’s favor: Deion Jones blitzes up the middle on 3rd down and forces Rodgers to throw the ball always, and then the usually reliable Mason Crosby pushes his field goal try wide right.

The Falcons will take over at their own 30.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 5:44 1st quarter

The Packers continue to throw the ball and have it down to the 23 and are now facing 3rd-and-4. Forcing a field goal would be a huge early win for the Falcons.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 7:30 1st quarter

Green Bay gets a 1st down on a 27-yard reception to Jordy Nelson. Ribs are overrated. They merely protect the vital organs.

Falcons 7-0 Packers, 8:03 1st quarter

Packers running back (/receiver) Ty Montgomery takes the ball 4 yards out to the 29 on Green Bay’s first offensive play. Today is Montgomery’s birthday. Pretty rude to tackle a man on his birthday.

That drive was 13 plays, 80 yards and took 6:36, putting pressure on Green Bay’s offense to respond immediately or risk falling down two scores.

Touchdown Falcons! (Falcons 7-0 Packers, 8:24 1st quarter)

Matt Ryan hits Mohamed Sanu on a shovel pass on 3rd-and-goal from the 3 to give the Falcons the lead. That continues Atlanta’s streak of games opening with a touchdown drive. Green Bay put up little resistance on the drive.

Updated

Falcons 0-0 Packers, 10:00 1st quarter

A 31-yard pass to fullback Patrick DiMarco gets Atlanta down to the 4-yard line. Green Bay had to prepare for a lot of Atlanta weapons, but DiMarco probably wasn’t one they spent much time on.

Falcons 0-0 Packers, 10:19 1st quarter

Atlanta gets a first down at midfield on a run by Tevin Coleman and than gets another on third down on a reception to Mohamed Sanu. Atlanta has the ball at the Green Bay 36 and are already in comfortable (indoor) field goal range.

Falcons 0-0 Packers, 12:29 1st quarter

Julio Jones gets back-to-back grabs to get the Falcons out to the 42 for a fresh set of downs. Atlanta would have been much farther down the field, but Taylor Gabriel dropped a pass that hit him in the stomach on first down.

Updated

Falcons 0-0 Packers, 13:56 1st quarter

Devonta Freeman opens with a burst through the right side for four yards and then Austin Hooper catches a pass for 8 yards to get the Falcons a first down.

Updated

Kickoff!

Atlanta’s Eric Weems receives the kickoff about three yards deep into the end zone and runs it out to the 20. Here we go!

Dwight Howard is on the Falcons sideline for pregame. Maybe they can sign him to a contract if they need some height to defend an Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary.

Roger Goodell is at this game instead of Steelers-Patriots. Because while Roger Goodell may not be the most intelligent man, he’s smart enough to know he should stay out of New England.

If the game comes down to spinning a football, look for the Packers to go with Jordy Nelson over Aaron Rodgers.

An illness went through the Packers locker room this week, hitting Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and others. But Rodgers is playing ... as is Nelson, who isn’t far removed from a broken rib. The Packers also arrived late into Atlanta because they were delayed flying out of Wisconsin due to fog in Green Bay. Things haven’t been going the way of the team who completes every Hail Mary attempt.

Win or lose, this will the last Falcons game in the Georgia Dome, which opened in 1992. That’s not a very long time for a sports venue, but considering the city also just replaced Turner Field - a stadium that opened in 1997 - the Georgia Dome is essentially has the history of Lambeau Field when it comes to Atlanta sports.

Welcome to the live blog for the 2016-2017 NFC Championship Game between the Cowboys and the Seahawks!

Sorry, no. Those teams are playing the Alternative Facts NFC Championship Game. Today, here in reality, we have the Green Bay Packers at the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers have won 8 in a row, the Falcons have won 6 and the Falcons are 6-point favorites.

If you have any game predictions or comments before kickoff, e-mail them to me at the address above or tweet them to @DJGalloEtc and I’ll post them in the liveblog.

It should be a great game. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there are only three football games left in the season.

Updated

DJ will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how Paolo Bandini see the game panning out:

Of the four starting quarterbacks in action this weekend, only one does not own a Super Bowl ring. It is the same one who performed most strongly through the regular season. Matt Ryan’s 117.1 passer rating ranks as the fifth-best such mark in NFL history. He averaged an enormous 9.3 yards per attempt – 1.4 higher than he had achieved in any previous season – and connected on 38 touchdowns, against just seven interceptions.

Ryan has extended such brilliance into the playoffs, throwing for 338 yards, three touchdowns and a 125.7 rating during Atlanta’s 36-20 defeat of Seattle last weekend. He has not been picked off in six games, and is supported by the league’s fifth-most productive running game. The Falcons’ pass protection is solid, too, in part because they have been the only team in the NFL to start the same five offensive linemen every week.

Add it all up, and it starts to look rather ominous for Green Bay. Only one team – New Orleans – gave up more yards through the air in the regular season, and the Packers’ prospects of slowing down Ryan and company have only been damaged further by a quad injury to safety Morgan Burnett, whose versatility has been such an asset. At time of writing, his availability for Sunday was unclear.

And yet, you could paint a similar picture on the other side. Aaron Rodgers threw his first interception in nine games against Dallas, breaking a run of 21 touchdowns without a pick, but he still helped his team to put 34 points on a defense that had given up an average of just 19.1 during the regular season. And the Falcons (who themselves only ranked 28th against the pass) will be missing their No2 pass rusher, Adrian Clayborn, who claimed a pair of sacks during their 33-32 regular season win over Green Bay.

Indeed, what makes this such a fascinating match-up is that the strengths and weaknesses look so similar on both sides. It is hard to imagine anything other than a shootout, and yet each team’s No1 receiver is carrying an injury. Jordy Nelson’s participation is once again in doubt for Green Bay as he continues his recovery from broken ribs, but Julio Jones also sat out Atlanta’s practice on Wednesday with a toe complaint although he says he is “ready to go”.

But the Packers’ health concerns run deeper. No3 wideout Davante Adams also injured his ankle late in the win over Dallas, and both starting offensive tackles were limited in practice early in the week. Offsetting those problems is Rodgers’s superior track record of winning games at this time of year. Ryan, lest we forget, has only won two playoff games in his whole career.

But narratives like that are made to be broken. And, as mentioned right at the start, he’s never played quite this well before. Falcons to win

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
How Rebel Wilson's Legal Feud Ties Back To Multiple People Involved With It Ends With Us' Case
It's all connected.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Zach Braff Forced To Speak Out After Facing Truly Bizarre Accusation
“Oh my God, this is not— we can’t put this on our podcast,” said hosts from I Need You Guys podcast.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump being gifted an Olympic medal: ‘Yet another award he didn’t win’
Late-night hosts addressed Melania Trump’s women’s history month speech, Maga’s Iran messaging and the ongoing oil crisis
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
“Seems Cruel”: Detail Of Demi Moore’s SXSW Appearance Sparks Backlash Amid Concern Over Her Weight Loss
“I can’t imagine bright lights and photogs yelling and just general chaos is comfortable to be around for the tiny cutie,” wrote one user.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Andrew and Mandelson pictured in bathrobes with Epstein in first known photo of trio together
The newly uncovered image from the Epstein files shows the trio sitting around a wooden table
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Florida woman goes on sushi date with Hinge match. Then they get to the restaurant—and he embarrasses her in front of everybody
First dates are bound to have some awkwardness. This one included maybe a little too much. One Florida woman thought she was in for a normal sushi date with a guy she met on Hinge. Instead, the evening spiraled into a series of increasingly baffling choices.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play