I haven't started a player vs the Packers all year long. It's a matter of principle for me. I can't root for a player to do well against the Packers. Period. So when I see GB in the opponent field, they're immediately on the bench.

Funny thing is, nobody has really done well against the Packers. So it's probably a smart move anyways.

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I start FF players against the Packers, but I won't root for them. It's win-win either way. If they do well: win for FF. If they get shut down: win for Pack.

As far as the Falcons are concerned, I think Matt Ryan is overrated. They were on TV here a few weeks ago (don't remember who they were playing, Baltimore, maybe...) and the announcers were all over his balls about what a great game he was playing and how cool and accurate he'd been, but he looked like crap to me in that game - he made some good passes, but he also threw over, under and behind a lot of receivers, too. I really wasn't impressed at all.

Our offense > their defense
Our defense > their offense

Packers 34, Falcons 27

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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81c5d0f4/article/pivotal-nfc-showdown-leads-impressive-week-12-schedule?module=HP_spotlight 

The storyline:
A win here could be the deciding factor in who gets the NFC's No. 1 seed for the playoffs. Two of the hottest teams in the league are meeting with both quarterbacks playing exceptionally well.

Why you should watch:
John Abraham could be a handful for a so-so Green Bay offensive line. Clay Matthews could be a handful for the Falcons' offensive line. Matt Ryan is 18-1 at home as a starter. Count how many passes hit the ground, I bet there's not all that many.

Did you know?
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has won five consecutive November games and has 13 TDs and 0 interceptions in those outings. ... Matthews leads the league with 11.5 sacks. ... Falcons RB Michael Turner has 22 touchdowns in 18 career home games with Atlanta. ... Roddy White has six career games with 10-plus catches.

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Whoa, Aaron is pretty damn good in November.

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Totally agree, and I'm a Falcons fan. We're ranked very high on all the power rankings. I don't know how we could get more respect. The idiot analysts don't talk about us, and therefore don't know much about us, because we're a boring team, but that doesn't mean we get a lack of respect.

I like that we're boring. Even Roddy White, who has easily been the most productive receiver in the league this year and is in the middle of his fourth consecutive 1,000 yard season, doesn't draw much attention to himself. Our GM came from New England. I love the way our organization is run.

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That's awesome and true. I love players like that, they work hard, play big and keep their mouth shut and behave like a pro.

+1 to you for that classiness being pointed out.

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If it wasn't annoying to see +1 in a post as it was, its even more annoying to see it wasn't even dispensed to the individual.

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lol sorry, Zero. I remember I posted it, then turned off my laptop and didn't click the button. Doh!

Anyway, this game is really going to show what we are made of. As some people have eluded to in other threads we have been dominant lately but the teams we have been facing haven't been the caliber teams we'd see in the playoffs. If we win against the Falcons this week it would be huge for our momentum and playoff position this year. Can't wait to watch this one.

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This is such an interesting matchup. The Falcons have sort of snuck up on people this year, while the Packers got a lot of preseason hype and were initially disappointing, but have come on strong in their past four games.

The Falcon's signature win was against the Ravens on a Thursday night several weeks ago. The Packers seem more battle-tested at this point, and I like the fact that they played in a dome just last week. I'm picking the Packers to win a close game.

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Speaking of behaving like a pro, this quote from Aaron Rodgers speaks volumes about the kind of guy he is. I've always liked Rodgers, truthfully. It's not surprising to hear him speak with such class and display so much intelligence. Joe Flacco only referred to Brent Grimes as "that short guy" or something like that, though I should add that he referred to him as that while complimenting his play this season.


I think theyre playing really well. Two years ago we played them and (Brent) Grimes was more of a third guy for them. I think hes playing very well. Hes gotten very impressive. Obviously, bringing in (Dunta) Robinson in the offseason was a big addition. Having (William) Moore coming off his injury, he is playing very well. Hes had four interceptions. Thomas (DeCoud) I know from playing with at Cal. I know his athleticism and hes doing a nice job. I think as a whole theyre playing very well. I have to give Grimes his props. Hes the kind of guy you pull for. Hes been released a couple of times and been a practice squad guy and kind of paid his dues. Now, hes playing very well. A lot of respect for that secondary, for that team, and for Coach (Mike) Smith and the job that hes done. Their secondary does a really nice job.

There are so many reasons to look forward to this game. These are two of the best teams in the league who also conduct themselves in a very professional manner.

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