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at Lambeau Field on December 8, 2014 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

First look at the NFC championship game

Posted by on Jan 16, 2017 01:26

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET, FOX)

Arguably the two best offenses in the NFL, and the top two candidates for MVP with Aaron Rodgers going up against Matt Ryan. As a result, the early over/under in Vegas 61 points, which is the highest total in the NFL this season and the highest in playoff history.

But both teams also have great defensive fronts, with Vic Beasley and Brooks Reed leading the way for a stellar, hot Falcons pass rush and Green Bay getting great performances from a slew of guys (Nick Perry, Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Jake Ryan) in the front seven.

The big difference might be that Green Bay’s secondary isn’t as healthy and the running game is less consistent (Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are tough to top).

Yes, the Packers are the hottest team in the game right now, and Rodgers is playing the best football of his Hall of Fame career. But while Green Bay is averaging 34.8 points per game the last six weeks, with a 6-0 record during that stretch, the Falcons have rather quietly averaged an insane 36.6 points in their last seven games, with their only loss during that stretch coming by a single point to the Chiefs. And Ryan’s been as hot as Rodgers.

The Packers have actually struggled a bit in their last few road games, while the Falcons — who did lose three games at the Georgia Dome this year — have won three in a row at home. They also beat the Packers in Atlanta earlier this year, with Ryan hitting Mohamed Sanu for the game-winning touchdown late in a 33-32 victory. But the Packers weren’t as healthy then, and the defense was a mess.

This looks like a surefire shootout, and a potential classic.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.

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