Live Updates: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons are battling on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Follow along all day for updates.
Final Score
The Falcons beat the Packers 25-24. Here is the game story, game ball and more.
Fourth Quarter
Falcons 25, Packers 24 (34 seconds remaining)
Jordan Love threw four consecutive incompletions. The shorthanded Packers were destroyed in the fourth quarter and will wind up with a split of their two-game road trip to open the season.
Falcons 25, Packers 24 (57 seconds remaining)
Younghoe Koo booted a 25-yard field goal to give Atlanta the lead. The Falcons have a 447-224 edge in yardage. The key plays were a third-and-3 pass to Bijan Robinson and a fourth-and-1 run by Robinson.
So, with no timeouts, Jordan Love has his chance to be the hero.
Packers 24, Falcons 22 (6:07 remaining)
Here’s something you don’t see every day. On fourth-and-a-foot, Jordan Love ran a quarterback sneak to the right. The only problem? Josh Myers never snapped it. So, it’s a three-and-out and the Falcons have a chance to drive to the win.
Packers 24, Falcons 22 (8:10 remaining)
A 29-yard completion to Bijan Robinson against a busted coverage got the Falcons into scoring range, but Desmond Ridder’s third-down pass was thrown well behind Mack Hollins, which allowed Rasul Douglas to knock the ball loose. Younghoe Koo’s 39-yard field goal made it a two-point game.
Packers 24, Falcons 19 (10:51 remaining)
Jordan Love needed an answer. He didn’t deliver. On third-and-8, he almost threw a pick-6 to A.J. Terrell, who had superb coverage against Malik Heath. So, it’s a three-and-out punt. A 15-yard facemask penalty by safety Jonathan Owens on the punt has given the ball to the Falcons at their 35.
Packers 24, Falcons 19 (11:48 remaining)
The Falcons aren’t dead yet. On fourth-and-4, quarterback Desmond Ridder scored on a 6-yard run. The play was a read-option. When Rashan Gary crashed inside to take away Bijan Robinson, Ridder pulled the ball and went around the corner. He ran threw Rasul Douglas’ tackle attempt at the 2 for the score. The big play was a 45-yard completion from Ridder to Mack Hollins on a double-reverse flea flicker.
Third Quarter
Packers 24, Falcons 12 (56 seconds remaining)
Jordan Love threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Jayden Reed and his third overall to give the Packers a two-score lead. The Packers gained 43 yards when Love’s woefully underthrown deep pass to Romeo Doubs – he was under intense pressure – turned into a blatant interference penalty by veteran cornerback Tre Flowers. On the score, Reed was jammed by cornerback Dee Alford. Alford let Reed go, resulting in the easiest touchdown on earth.
Love is 14-of-19 passing for 151 yards and three touchdowns. That doesn’t include 87 yards on interference penalties.
Packers 17, Falcons 12 (3:07 remaining)
Two huge turns of events. First, Desmond Ridder eluded Rashan Gary and floated a ball in the back of the end zone to Mack Hollins for what momentarily appeared to be an 11-yard touchdown. However, upon review, it was ruled the back of Hollins’ heel was just out of bounds. One play later, on third-and-12, Devonte Wyatt applied the initial pressure. Ridder stepped up in the pocket and pulled away from a sack by Preston Smith before being hauled down by Kenny Clark and Gary. Younghoe Koo’s 33-yard field goal brought Atlanta within five points.
Packers 17, Falcons 9 (10:31 remaining)
Jordan Love’s first touchdown pass was to rookie receiver Jayden Reed. His second was to rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks. Wicks motioned right, then ran an in-breaking route to the left. He caught the ball at the 16, then broke tackles from cornerback Tre Flowers and safety Richie Grant for the touchdown.
Left guard Elgton Jenkins (knee) is out.
Packers 10, Falcons 9 (14:29 remaining)
Quay Walker had a pick-six last week at Chicago. Did he just drop another? On third-and-15, Desmond Ridder tried to hit big-play tight end Kyle Pitts but Walker was right in the passing lane. The ball was thrown right to him but Walker dropped the ball.
Rasul Douglas celebrates a first-quarter interception
Photo by Brett Davis/USA Today Sports Images
Second Quarter
Packers 10, Falcons 9 (12 seconds remaining)
The Packers had no answers for Bijan Robinson on a well-executed, patience-filled drive at the end of the half, with the Falcons capping it with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Desmond Ridder to Drake London vs. Jaire Alexander. Robinson had runs of 9 and 13 yards early in the drive, then took a pitch on fourth-and-1 around Rashan Gary for a gain of 13. The extra point was wide left, though, so the Packers will take the lead into halftime. The Falcons will get the ball to start the second half.
Statistically, the Falcons dominated the first half, including a 212-118 edge in yardage.
Packers 10, Falcons 3 (3:06 remaining)
Anders Carlson kicked a 33-yard field goal. Three consecutive touches by AJ Dillon produced 21 yards and Jordan Love moved the chains with completions to Dontayvion Wicks and Josiah Deguara. The drive stalled on third-and-6. Love threw a perfect pass to Wicks on a corner route against the Falcons’ top cornerback, A.J. Terrell, but Terrell’s coverage was perfect, as well, and he knocked the ball away.
Packers 7, Falcons 3 (8:51 remaining)
Jaire Alexander dropped a potential pick-six at the 34 on fourth down, but the Packers will start at their 41. That’s small news, though. With left tackle David Bakhtiari inactive, left guard Elgton Jenkins (knee) is questionable to return. The new left side to open the series: Yosh Nijman at left tackle and Royce Newman at left guard. Given Green Bay's short-handed offense, an Alexander pick would have been huge.
Packers 7, Falcons 3 (13:33 remaining)
The Packers took the lead with a big-time answer. On first-and-goal from the 9, Jayden Reed took a jet-sweep-style flip from Jordan Love and won the race around the corner. He ran through a tackle attempt by safety Jessie Bates III at the 7 and got into the end zone before linebacker Kaden Ellis could take him out of bounds.
There were two key plays early in the drive. First, on third-and-1, the Packers lined up with three tight ends to the right. Luke Musgrave broke from the bunch and was wide open in the flat for a catch-and-run gain of 17. On third-and-10, Love didn’t have anyone open but did see a seam inside of veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Love won the race to the corner for a gain of 25 on the final play of the quarter. Later, coach Matt LaFleur won a challenge that gave AJ Dillon a first down on third-and-1 from the 10.
First Quarter
Falcons 3, Packers 0 (3:50 remaining)
The Falcons drove to the precipice of a touchdown before Green Bay’s defense made a huge stand. On first-and-goal at the 1, Desmond Ridder had nobody open on a run-pass option. On second-and-goal, TJ Slaton bulled the center into the backfield to help Kenny Clark stuff Bijan Robinson. On third-and-goal, Devonte Wyatt’s rush and Darnell Savage’s coverage forced an incompletion. The Falcons wanted to go for it on fourth down but a false start brought out the field-goal team. Younghoe Koo booted a 24-yard field goal to cap a 15-play drive.
Packers 0, Falcons 0 (10:33 remaining)
So much for taking advantage of the turnover. After Emanuel Wilson was dropped for minus-5, linebacker Kaden Ellis blitzed between Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins and fill-in left tackle Rasheed Walker. Walker moved outside and didn’t lay a finger on anyone. No one laid a finger on Ellis, either, who sacked Love for a loss of 11.
Packers 0, Falcons 0 (12:30 remaining)
Desmond Ridder’s first career interception came courtesy of Kenny Clark. Clark stormed up the middle and drilled Ridder, forcing a flutter ball that was grabbed by ballhawking cornerback Rasul Douglas.
Ridder was trying to make some NFL history; scroll down to find that note.
Packers 0, Falcons 0 (13:54 remaining)
The Packers got into scoring position on the first play but shot themselves in the foot with two unforced errors. Dialing up a flea flicker to open the game, the Packers gained 44 yards when cornerback A.J. Terrell was forced to tackle rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks. A run to AJ Dillon set up a second-and-7 at the 28 but Jordan Love’s pass sailed over the head of unsuspecting tight end Luke Musgrave, left tackle Rasheed Walker – starting for inactive David Bakhtiari – was guilty of a false start and Love’s third-down pass was batted down. With Anders Carlson out for a 51-yard field goal, the Packers were flagged for a delay of game. Green Bay opted to punt but Daniel Whelan kicked the ball in the end zone.
Packers QB Jordan Love at the Falcons
Photo by Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports Images
No Riddles With Desmond Ridder
The Falcons rely on their running game, so quarterback Dedmond Ridder isn’t asked to do a lot. A third-round pick last year, Ridder could make some history vs. Green Bay. With three touchdowns and zero interceptions in five career starts, Ridder is looking to become the first quarterback since 1950 to start his career with no interceptions in six starts.
“First of all, I think he makes great decisions,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He doesn’t put the ball in jeopardy a whole bunch, and then he’s got some dudes on the perimeter. He threw one up last week to (tight end Kyle) Pitts and he goes up and makes a play. So, I think he’s accurate, he makes great decisions. I think they do a great job of putting him in some pretty good situations, especially with a lot of their passing game coming off the run game, so they use that run to set up the pass.”
Lockdown Cornerback
A matchup to watch with Christian Watson inactive is Packers receiver Romeo Doubs against Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.
A first-round pick in 2020, Terrell is their defensive stopper. Last week against Carolina, he was targeted six times and gave up just one catch for 3 yards, according to Sports Info Solutions.
“I think he’s an elite corner,” LaFleur said. “I think all those guys are really solid players, and they play a really aggressive scheme, as well, so they’re going to get up in your face. They’ll challenge you and they do a nice job. They’ve got really good length and size and can run, so it’ll be a good task for our young receiver group.”
While Watson is inactive for Green Bay, cornerback Jeff Okudah is out for Atlanta. Tre Flowers, who picked off three passes for Seattle in 2019 and one for Cincinnati last year, will get his second consecutive start. Flowers is 6-foot-3 and Terrell is 6-foot-1.
Speaking of Atlanta’s secondary, that group is led by assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray, who was Green Bay’s secondary coach the past three years.
“I’ve got my older kids coming into town and going against my younger kids. That’s really what it is,” said Gray, who spoke highly of Jordan Love this week.
Great Kick Returners
Last year, Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon was the All-Pro returner. Last week, Jayden Reed had a 35-yard punt return in his NFL debut. With Nixon and Reed, the Packers have a dynamic duo.
The Falcons have an all-time great as their kickoff returner. Cordarrelle Patterson, a first-round pick as a receiver by the Vikings in 2013, is the NFL’s all-time leader with nine career kickoff-return touchdowns. The Packers caught a break with Patterson a surprise inactive.
“I think he’s really big and fast and he’s kind of a fearless guy,” Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said this week. “He has a lot of confidence in his ability to break tackles, to go the distance. He’s done it a bunch. That’s probably what makes him special. He has great vision and he can break tackles as he gets through the hole. We’re expecting to play against him. We’re expecting him to take it out as far back as he can go to make a play. Hopefully we can do a good job.”
Huge Inactives News
Left tackle David Bakhtiari is inactive. Coach Matt LaFleur listed him as questionable on Friday’s injury report but said Bakhtiari hadn’t suffered a setback with his knee. Thus, Bakhtiari’s status appears to be wholly precautionary.
Along with Aaron Jones and Christian Watson, the Packers are down three starters. The Falcons will be without two.
On the bright side, linebacker Quay Walker is out of the concussion protocol and will play.
Shifting Betting Line
The Packers opened the week as a 1-point favorite over the Falcons. However, on the possibility that Aaron Jones and Christian Watson wouldn’t play, the line swung toward at Atlanta. By Sunday morning, the Falcons were 3-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jordan Love’s over/under passing total is 216.5. Romeo Doubs’ over/under for receiving yards is 41.5.
How to Watch Packers vs. Falcons
Date and time: noon Sunday.
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
TV: Fox (Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Shannon Spake)
Stream: fuboTV offers more than 100 channels and a free trial.
Radio: Packers Radio Network and SiriusXM 384 and 811.
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