Packers 30, Falcons 16: 2-minute drill

October 6, 2020
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

Green Bay built a 20-3 halftime lead and then held off a desperate Atlanta team 30-16 to stay unbeaten Monday night at Lambeau Field.

Game Balls

Offense: Aaron Rodgers

Playing without his top two weapons at wide receiver, the 36-year-old turned to his running backs and tight ends to get the job done against the Falcons. Rodgers went 20-for-20 for 241 yards and four touchdowns when targeting Robert Tonyan, Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones and Tyler Ervin. The two-time MVP ended up going 27 of 33 for 327 yards as he helped move Green Bay to 4-0 for the third time in his 13 years as the Packers starting quarterback.

Defense: Za’Darius Smith

The outside linebacker loves the bright lights of Monday Night Football. After tearing up Minnesota last December, Smith was back at it against Atlanta. He led the team in tackles (8), sacks (3), tackles for loss (4) and quarterback hits (5). Now in his second year with the Packers, the defensive team captain has five sacks through four games and is on pace to top his Pro Bowl campaign of 2019.

Best tweets

Big Bob Tonyan edition after catching three touchdowns:

And some others:

In Case You Missed It

— Wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring), wide receiver Allen Lazard (core), nose tackle Kenny Clark (groin), tight end Marcedes Lewis (knee) and linebacker Rashan Gary (ankle) were among the Packers not to suit up due to injury.

— The Packers lost three more players to injury during the game: CB Chandon Sullivan (concussion), CB Kevin King (quad), linebacker Krys Barnes (shoulder) and tight end Josiah Deguara (knee).

— With Lewis not playing, the Packers used offensive lineman Rick Wagner as an extra blocking tight end in certain packages.

— Rodgers limped to the sideline after a fourth-quarter sack. He was seen stretching out his left leg on the bench, but said afterwards it was “more embarrassment than injury.”

Inside the Numbers

17-3 — That’s Matt LaFleur’s record in his first 20 games as coach — the best in franchise history and the second-best in NFL history.

216 — That’s how many yards Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams combined for Monday night. They did it on 36 touches between rushing and receiving.

3 — That’s how many touchdowns Robert Tonyan had, tied for the most in a single game by a tight end in team history. He now has five touchdowns on the year, tied with Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans for the most in the NFL.

0 — That’s how many catches Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley had on five targets. He averaged seven catches and 116.3 yards per game in the first three weeks of the season.

128.4 — That’s Aaron Rodgers’ passer rating through four games, which would be a career-best if he keeps it up. He’s completing 70.5% of his passes and thrown for 1,214 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions.

38.0 — That’s how many points the Packers are averaging per game this season, which is tops in the NFL.

+51 — That’s Green Bay’s point differential this season, which leads the league.

6 — That’s the number of unbeaten teams left in the NFL. The Packers and Seattle are the only two NFC teams that haven’t lost.

What’s Next

Green Bay (4-0) will hit the bye week before returning to take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).