Atlanta Falcons (+12) at Green Bay Packers
With Green Bay’s home win over the New England Patriots in Week 13, the Packers moved into the consensus top pick for most Power Rankings — including ours. No team has been more dominant of late — four straight wins, eight in their last nine games, and an average margin of victory of more than two touchdowns since Week 4 — Green Bay is now in a wild race for the NFC’s top seed.
Speaking of wild races, the 5-7 Atlanta Falcons are a tiebreaker ahead of the New Orleans Saints for the NFC South title. While Green Bay has been tearing apart opponents, Atlanta has quietly put together a solid string of three wins in four games, with the only loss coming via a last-second field goal due to terrible clock management. Granted, of Atlanta’s five wins – all season – the team’s only victory against a team with a winning record was Week 13’s home win against the Cardinals.
In any other season, a 5-7 Falcons team would be nothing more than a potential ‘spoiler’ in Monday night’s game against the playoff-bound Packers. But, given the circumstances, the Falcons have every reason to believe their season has not been wasted. They are no longer a sputtering bunch fighting for a top pick in next year’s draft. They are an actual division contender with purpose.
Considering the talent at key positions — especially quarterback, as Matt Ryan has the fifth-most passing yards this season — a 3-1 Falcons team seems a lot more realistic than the 2-6 team they displayed before their Week 9 bye. The only problem for Atlanta is that the league’s worst defense — in yards allowed — has almost no chance to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ top-ten offense.
Atlanta hangs in to the end, but loses by a field goal, beating the spread.
