Four Days to Kickoff: 4 Items from Inside the Falcons
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at Lambeau Field. The Packers (3-0) are touchdown favorites over the Falcons (0-3). Let’s get to know the foe with Zach Hood of SI.com’s Falcon Report.
1. Matt Ryan is one of the great quarterbacks of the era. He's on pace for another of his 5,000-ish-yard seasons. His completion percentage, however, is down significantly. What are you seeing from the former MVP?
I think more than anything, it's just the small sample. He was around 67 percent through Week 2, then only went 19-for-38 (50 percent) in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. I think a larger sample size will show that he's still virtually the same player he's always been.
2. In Green Bay, there is a debate on whether to give running back Aaron Jones a lucrative contract extension. When he was with the Rams, Todd Gurley got a huge extension. His career tumbled off a cliff, however, and now he's with Atlanta. When he was rolling, he was perhaps the best in the business. What have you seen from the former superstar?
He looks good so far, honestly. A shell of his former self? Maybe, but when the hole is there, he gets yards. Will he hold up for an entire season? Hard to be sure with his chronic knee issues.
3. Maybe you don't have all day, but what's wrong with the defense, which is last in the league in points allowed?
Summing it up, the Falcons have been non-competitive in a lot of key situations in the secondary. The last two collapses featured nothing short of disastrous coverage on the back end. They seem to have huge breakdowns in the worst possible moments, on top of probably being a below-average unit to begin with.
4. What do you expect on Monday, given the blown leads the last couple weeks and the questions surrounding the coaching staff?
Last I saw, Green Bay was favored by 7.5. I feel like that is fair, despite coach Dan Quinn's success vs. Aaron Rodgers and him being familiar with Matt LaFleur's system. The Packers look good so far, and while the Falcons should be able to score points, if they turn the ball over early, it might get out of hand. If the Packers are able to neutralize the Atlanta run game, it could be a long day for Matt Ryan. However, it will not surprise me in the least if the Falcons come out and play a perfect game like they did late last season vs. the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. There is truly no predicting Atlanta at this point.
