Packers vs. Falcons: Can Green Bay's Defense Stuff Another Potent Offense?

In a divisional-round weekend full of great matchups, Packers-Falcons will no doubt make its case for the best of the bunch.

Green Bay earned the right to visit Atlanta with a wild-card round victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Packers jumped out to a 14-3 lead in that game, relying on its always-stout defense and a new-found running game to grind the Eagles to a halt.

Atlanta earned a first-round bye by virtue of its NFC-best 13-3 record in the regular season -- a mark that included a win over Green Bay in Atlanta. The Falcons are hoping to use the same rowdy home-field edge their division rival, the Saints, did last season en route to the Super Bowl.

An early look at this NFC divisional-round game:

Game Information

Saturday, Jan. 15, 8 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. This will be the first of two NFC divisional-round games -- the winner of this game will play the winner of the Seahawks-Bears game. If Atlanta wins, it will host the NFC title game; if Green Bay wins, it will play on the road.

Previous Meeting

Matt Bryant nailed a 47-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter to carry Atlanta past Green Bay, 20-17, in Week 12. Matt Ryan connected on 24 of 28 passes in that game for 197 yards and a touchdown; Aaron Rodgers topped him, going 26 of 35 for 344 yards and a TD. Michael Turner carried it 23 times for 110 yards and a touchdown to help pace Atlanta.

Matchup to Watch

Clay Mathews/Charles Woodson vs. Falcons' pass protection

Green Bay doesn't bring pressure exclusively with Matthews and Woodson, but they're two of the most dangerous defensive players in the game and will come at the QB from all angles. The Packers' rush clobbered Philadelphia's front Sunday, sending Michael Vick running for his life and taking the Eagles' out of their game plan. Atlanta knows from its first outing that it can run the ball on the Packers, but if Green Bay can get after Ryan and keep him from stretching the field, it'll be hard for the Falcons to move to the ball.

Green Bay's Keys to Victory

Aside from being a little careless with the ball and giving up some big passing plays in the fourth quarter, the Packers did exactly what they needed to against Philadelphia. That included finding a long-lost running game, thanks to unknown James Starks, whose contributions helped Green Bay control the clock and balance its attack. If Starks can find any room early against the Falcons, it'll let Rodgers settle in so he can get his receivers involved.

It's the same story defensively. While Ryan doesn't present the same set of challenges that Vick does, getting pressure on him will be critical -- even if it's in a different manner; Ryan can run but isn't the threat Vick is to get out of the pocket, so the Packers may be able to attack even more. The bigger concern for Green Bay is slowing Turner, because for as good as Ryan is, he's the engine that makes Atlanta go. The Packers didn't do that with any measure of success in the first meeting, so getting some push up front this time around might turn the outcome.

Atlanta's Keys to Victory

For as well as things went for Green Bay in the wild-card round, they were equally troublesome for Philadelphia. The Eagles made a bunch of mistakes, fell behind early, and let the home crowd turn from excited to apathetic.

As a home favorite, those are all the things you want to avoid. Atlanta needs to do just the opposite -- namely, jumping out to a lead, so it's easier to get Turner involved on offense, and less likely that Green Bay can get Starks and its running game going on the other side of the ball. Even with Green Bay's talent in the secondary, Ryan should be able to do some damage with time -- his 24 of 28 in the first meeting between these two shows that, even if he would've liked to hit on a few more deep balls. With guys like Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, even the best Packers' defensive strategy will have issues taking away all of Atlanta's options.

The Eagles didn't really take anything away from Green Bay's offense, either. Rodgers was free to sit and connect on short routes, mostly because the Packers ran successfully from the outset. Atlanta doesn't sack the QB a lot (No. 20 in the league in the regular season), but the Falcons do have the type of personnel that can create some pressure and change passing lanes. Rodgers' comfort in the pocket -- just like Ryan's on the other side -- can be disrupted.

Predicition

The Falcons can't be too thrilled that they have to host a dangerous Packers team, while Chicago gets to welcome Seattle. Of course, the Seahawks showed that anything can happen in the playoffs. Still, Green Bay looks like it matches up well on both sides of the ball with the Falcons. One area the Falcons might have a major edge: special teams. In a game that could go down to the wire, that might make all the difference. You can expect this to go down to the wire -- but let's give a slight edge to Atlanta, if only because of home-field advantage. Falcons 24, Packers 21