News » The Green Bay Packers got a big 34-20 victory on Sunday

over the Atlanta Falcons https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Geronimo-Allison-Jersey , giving Joe Philbin a win in his first game as the team’s interim head coach. It wasn’t a big win because the Packers are still in the thick of the playoff race, though they are still mathematically alive. Instead, it seems big for the confidence of the team, giving the players and fans belief that the problems the team had dealt with all season are indeed fixable.The Packers got big contributions from three reserves on the offensive line, however, as a trio of starters were made inactive just before game time. Although the line as a whole did allow four sacks, including three on third downs, they kept Aaron Rodgers clean in the second half and helped the team pick up nearly 140 rushing yards on the day.Here’s a look at the playing time from Sunday’s 34-20 Packers victory.OFFENSE (65 plays)QuarterbacksAaron Rodgers 64, DeShone Kizer 1Rodgers gave way to Kizer for a kneel-down on the final snap of the game. Other than that, Rodgers had a moderately efficient day, completing just under two-thirds of his passes by going 21-for-32 (65.6%). His 6.13 yards per attempt number won’t impress, but the important factor was that he kept the chains moving on third downs.Rodgers completed five of six pass attempts on third downs for four conversions and added a pair of scrambles for first downs as well. The Packers did allow three third-down sacks in the first half, but the overall 7-for-13 conversion rate was a huge step forward.We also must mention Rodgers setting the new record for pass attempts without an interception, as he has still thrown just one all year. Still, there were two passes that he could have been picked off on during Sunday’s game, including one that hit Deion Jones in the hands a few throws before he did indeed set the record. But it’s still fun to see one of the NFL’s all-time best at avoiding turnovers get a record like this, so congrats to Rodgers on setting the new mark!Running BacksAaron Jones 42, Jamaal Williams 24, Dan Vitale 2Williams started the game for the Packers, which seemed bizarre and inexplicable at the time. However, it may have had something to do with the pace of the opening drive, as the team seems to prefer him to Jones when in no-huddle or quick passing situations. Jones came on and dominated the snap count the rest of the way, however, and he ended up out-touching Williams 20 to 4.Jones was back over 4.5 yards per carry in this game, with 17 totes for 78 yards and a score. He added three receptions for 28 yards. Williams, meanwhile, carried the ball four times for 17 yards.Wide ReceiversDavante Adams 56, Randall Cobb 44, Equanimeous St. Brown 34, Marquez Valdes-Scantling 30, Jake Kumerow 6Adams had another 11 targets, catching seven balls for 81 yards and a touchdown. He should have had another 30-yard reception, but it was wiped out by a pass interference call on Jimmy Graham on a pick play. St. Brown seems to be slowly catching up to MVS, as the two have been about even on snaps and targets in recent weeks. Cobb returned to relevance this week, thanks in large part to his 24-yard touchdown reception on the play that gave Rodgers the record.Tight EndsJimmy Graham 47, Lance Kendricks 17, Marcedes Lewis 16, Robert Tonyan 7Graham caught just two passes for 13 yards in this game, though one did move the chains on third down. The rest of the tight ends were swapped in and out largely in blocking situations, as none had even a single target.Offensive LinemenLucas Patrick 65, Jason Spriggs 65, Corey Linsley 65 Oren Burks Jersey , David Bakhtiari 64, Justin McCray 62, Alex Light 3, Adam Pankey 1With three starters out, Patrick, Spriggs, and McCray came on to start and provided nearly full games. As mentioned earlier, the group did allow three sacks on third downs in the first half, two of which led to field goals. However, the second half was much better, as they did not allow a single sack after halftime.McCray missed three snaps early on for a minor issue, but returned to play the remainder of the game. Patrick, meanwhile, endeared himself to his quarterback by sticking up for him after a borderline hit on a scramble by defensive back Brian Poole. Patrick got into a scrum with several Falcons defenders and won some major points for his protective instincts.DEFENSE (71 plays)Defensive LinemenDean Lowry 56, Kenny Clark 51, Tyler Lancaster 22, Montravius Adams 12Interestingly, Clark did not show up on the stat sheet in the game despite playing about 70 percent of the team’s snaps. However, this may have been by design by the Falcons; instead, Lowry and Lancaster picked up much of the tackles among this group with three apiece. Lancaster had one big TFL on a swing pass, and Lowry had a hit on quarterback Matt Ryan.Outside LinebackersKyler Fackrell 57, Clay Matthews 55, Reggie Gilbert 30Matthews had one of the Packers’ two sacks of Ryan on the day, with the second going down as a “team sack” in the stat sheet. He also had a second tackle for loss and a second hit on Ryan in a fairly solid performance. Fackrell also had a TFL and a hit on Ryan, with three total tackles, while Gilbert had just one solo stop.Inside LinebackersBlake Martinez 71, Antonio Morrison 7It’s a refrain at this point; Martinez had double-digit tackles with 12 total. The Packers were able to use safety Josh Jones as a Nitro linebacker for much of this game, however, which we’ll get to shortly.We at APC still hope to see more of rookie Oren Burks down the stretch, however. These last few games could and should be good opportunities for developmental snaps for him.SafetiesTramon Williams 71, Kentrell Brice 65, Josh Jones 63, Eddie Pleasant 6Brice’s return allowed the team to largely keep Jones down in the box at Nitro linebacker, where he picked up five solo tackles and an assist. Brice had three and one for four total tackles, while Williams was held off the stat sheet despite not missing a snap.The fact that Brice was able to play, however, did really open up the possibilities for Mike Pettine, at least in terms of how best to use Jones. It was nice to see him flying around closer to the line of scrimmage once again.CornerbacksJaire Alexander 71, Tony Brown 59, Josh Jackson 56, Bashaud Breeland 23, Will Redmond 5While Williams and Brice primarily manned the safety position Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey , the Packers’ corner rotation was strange early on. Breeland was arguably one of the stars of the game, with a pick-six and a fumble recovery, but he played fewer than a third of the game’s snaps. This reduced workload may be an effort to keep his snaps in check as he continues to work through a groin injury, however.Meanwhile, Alexander spent essentially the entire game matched up on Julio Jones one-on-one. He finished the day with ten solo tackles, one for loss, and a pass breakup — though he should have had two, if the Packers’ first replay review had been changed from a catch to an incompletion. Brown added five total tackles while Jackson had two solo stops, two pass breakups, and another defensive holding penalty. With the Championship games upon us today, it’s time to reveal APC’s picks for who will advance to Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Let’s dive right into it.NFC Championship: Saints at RamsThe first time these two teams met this season, the Saints won an all-time classic, 45-35. New Orleans’ defense has excelled at stopping the run all season long, ranking third in that area by DVOA while the Rams’ D ranks 28th. That seems to set this game up well for Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to lead the way for the Saints’ offense.However, New Orleans will be without one of their top run-stuffers, as Sheldon Rankins is out for the year with a torn Achilles tendon. If the Rams can take advantage of his absence and get Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson going, they should be able to start picking on the Saints’ exploitable secondary (22nd in DVOA).All told, however, APC’s writers see the Saints’ superior defense and Hall of Fame quarterback winning the day, and the Saints going to the Super Bowl in a divisional rival’s stadium.APC Pick: Saints (9-4)AFC Championship: Patriots at ChiefsIn this game we have a matchup of two elite offenses (Chiefs #1 and Patriots #5 by DVOA) against a mediocre and a not-very-good-at-all defense (Patriots #16, Chiefs #26). The Kansas City defense has been much better at home, however, though it is notable that their home schedule this season was pretty easy. Here’s the list of teams that they played at Arrowhead Stadium this season:49ers, Jaguars,Bengals, Broncos, Cardinals, Ravens, Chargers, Raiders, Colts (playoffs)Of those teams, only one — Indy — ranked in the top 13 teams in the NFL in offensive DVOA. Meanwhile, four of them were in the bottom eight.Still, the Chiefs held the Colts to just a single offensive touchdown a week ago, keeping the 10th-ranked Colts to 13 points. The challenge will surely be tougher against the Patriots, however, and their ninth-ranked rushing attack.Still, the Patrick Mahomes factor looms large, as the second-year quarterback and first-year starter has taken the league by storm. The Patriots picked him off twice in the teams’ first meeting, but it still took a last-second field goal for them to win in Foxboro. With this game taking place at Arrowhead, APC likes the Chiefs to make it to their first Super Bowl since Super Bowl IV.APC Pick: Chiefs (9-4)Conference Championship PicksGameTexJasonPeterKrisBobJon MJordanMatubMikePaulShawnWendiZachAPC PickGameTexJasonPeterKrisBobJon MJordanMatubMikePaulShawnWendiZachAPC Pick