Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons: Packers’ Keys to Victory

Nov 30, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) passes the ball during the second half against the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Green Bay Packers take the primetime spotlight on Monday Night Football in Week 14 as they welcome the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons to Lambeau Field.  The Falcons still cling to a lead in the NFC South over the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, a division that nobody seems remotely interested in winning.  The Green Bay Packers will enter this game widely viewed as one of the biggest favorites in Week 14, but in the ever-unpredictable NFL, it is imperative that the Packers treat this like a playoff game.

Temperatures are expected to hover around freezing with the windchill slightly below at Lambeau Field on Monday night, and a chance of light snow flurries could present the perfect backdrop for Green Bay Packers’ football.

Green Bay has combined a recent surge with good fortune and overtaken the Detroit Lions for top spot in the NFC North over the past month.  Now at 9-3, the Packers hold the second of two byes in the NFC, the first of which is held by the Arizona Cardinals, also at 9-3.

With the Philadelphia Eagles close on their heels for the second bye, the Green Bay Packers’ would be mistaken to allow any slip of intensity on Monday against the Atlanta Falcons.  The Falcons have struggled more than their 5-7 record suggests.  With a 4-0 record against their listless divisional opponents, that leaves Atlanta at 1-7 outside of their division.

That being said, Atlanta does possess the individual talent required to test the Green Bay Packers.  Julio Jones is one of the NFL’s elite weapons at the WR position, and Matt Ryan is a bonafide franchise Quarterback for the Falcons.

“Trap game” is a label always thrown onto match ups like this, but that is almost always an over-simplification of a complex situation.  Whether the Green Bay Packers are favorited by 1 point or 41, the Atlanta Falcons are a talented NFL team who could choose this Monday to “put it all together”.

Let’s take a look at the three keys to victory for the Green Bay Packers: