The Packers thought they were going into O.T. yesterday after Aaron Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson with a 10-yard TD pass with just 56 seconds left in the game.  But, the Falcons got a nice kickoff return that helped set up Matt Bryant for a 47-yard field goal for the Falcons with 9 seconds left in the game.  Aaron Rodgers was solid yesterday as he completed 26 of 35 passes for 344 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 12 times for 51 yards (4.3 ypc) with a TD run.  Brandon Jackson didn’t led much ground support yesterday with 10 carries for 26 yards (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 10 yards (3.3 avg).  WRs Greg Jennings (5 rec, 119 yards), Jordy Nelson (5 rec, 61 yards, TD) and James Jones (5 rec, 44 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Packers yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 77 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 35 passes for 341 yards in this game.

The defense didn’t give up a lot of yards in this game but they also didn’t play too well when it really counted.  LB Desmond Bishop (10 tackles), safety Charlie Peprah (9 tackles) and CB Charles Woodson (8 tackles) led the way for the Packers’ D in this game.  The Falcons finished up with 117 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 28 passes for 178 yards.  The Packers are now 7-4 on the year.

This is going to be a war this Sunday afternoon in the Georgia Dome.  The Packers have won four games in a row by a combined score of 113-34!  The Falcons are also on a 4 game winning streak and they are 5-0 at home this year where they have outscored teams 149-95.  Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan has only lost 1 game that he has started at home in his first three years in the NFL.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers’ strength on offense (the passing game) matches up well with the weakness of the Falcons’ D as they are allowing 244.1 yards passing per game.  If Rodgers has time to throw the ball he’s going to have fun playing catch with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson this weekend.  The Falcons are only giving up 95.4 yards rushing per game this year so I don’t look for the Packers to be feeding the rock to Brandon Jackson and Dimitri Nance in this game.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to come out running the ball with Michael Turner & Jason Snelling against a Packers’ D that is allowing 112.1 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  If the Falcons get a running game going it will set up play action passes for Matt Ryan which he’s really good at.  The key will be the O-Line of the Falcons giving him time to throw the ball as the Packers have 29 sacks already this year led by LB Clay Matthews.  While the Packers are confident that either Charles Woodson or Tramon Williams can handle Roddy White, they will likely have safety help.  But, the safeties also have to be concerned with TE Tony Gonzalez.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, PACKERS 24

The Vikings scored first in this game and it appeared to piss the Packers off.  Aaron Rodgers was outstanding in this game as he completed 22 of 31 passes for 301 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 21 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Matt Flynn was the mop up man in this game he he completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 5 yards.  He also had 1 carry for 5 yards.  Dimitri Nance led the way on the ground in this game for the Packers with 37 yards rushing on 12 carries (3.1 ypc).  Brandon Jackson pitched in with 28 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.0 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg).  Greg Jennings (7 rec, 152 yards, 3 TDs) and James Jones (3 rec, 51 yards, TD) led the way with big  games through the air last weekend.  The Packers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 32 passes for 283 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:16.

The Packers played great defensively and it was a team effort last weekend.  The Vikings finished up with 93 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 38 passes for 207 yards.  The Packers are now 7-3 on the year.

The Packers are on a roll right now as they have won 3 games in a row outscoring the competition 82-31!  They are also coming off a bye week giving them two weeks to prepare for Brett Favre and the Vikings.  This isn’t going to be easy though as the Vikings are 3-1 at home this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come out of the locker room passing this Sunday.  The Vikings only have 13 sacks this year so Aaron Rodgers should have plenty of time to scan the field and decide where to go with the football.  He will also likely have Donald Driver back giving him another weapon to team with Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson.  I don’t see the Packers running much this week as the Vikings only allow 3.7 yards per carry and you can never count out Brett Favre in a game like this one.

When the Vikings have the ball:  If the Vikings were smart they would just keep feeding the rock to Adrian Peterson, but, Brad Childress is the head coach.  That means the Vikings will likely be balanced on offense which could be a good thing for the Packers.  Brett Favre has thrown 16 interceptions this season and he has lost five fumbles so the Packers will be sending the dogs after him.  For some reason though I think he still has one big game in him.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, PACKERS 24

The Packers started out this year 3-1 and things were looking good.  But back to back overtime losses at Washington and at home against the Dolphins had the Packers reeling and back to .500 (3-3).  Coach McCarthy then got the troops motivated and well prepared for success as his team has responded with 3 straight wins over the Vikings, Jets and Cowboys by a combined score of 82-31!  McCarthy needs to keep the Packers ready to succeed every single Sunday the rest of the year as the schedule looks tough.  The Packers are now 44-29 under the 47-year old McCarthy in his five regular seasons in charge of the team.

The Packers have signed 27-year old LB/TE Spencer Havner.  Havner played in 5 games for the Lions earlier this season and he had 9 tackles.  Havner has now played in 25 games in his three years in the NFL and he has 29 tackles.  He also has caught 7 passes for 112 yards (16.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career so far.  He spent his first two years in the NFL with the Packers so he should already be up to speed on the playbook.

The Packers have placed 33-year old OT Mark Tauscher on the Injured Reserve List with a shoulder problem.  He played in 4 games (all starts) for the Packers this year.  Tauscher has played in 134 games (132 starts) in 11 years with the Packers.  The Packers have been playing without him and doing pretty well but they’ll still miss his veteran know how.

In his first three years with the Packers, 26-year old linebacker Desmond Bishop played in 41 games in which he had 74 tackles, 1 sack and 4 forced fumbles.  This season though, Bishop has stepped up because of injuries to the linebacking unit of the Packers.  Bishop has played in 8 games for the Packers so far this year and he has 49 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and a interception that he returned 32 yards for a TD.  Bishop could be in the starting lineup at linebacker for a long, long time if he continues to play like he is right now.

28-year old running back John Kuhn has really stepped up for the Packers this year.  When Ryan Grant went down in the season opener with a broken ankle, the Packers needed someone to step up.  Brandon Jackson & John Kuhn have answered the call.  Kuhn was converted from fullback to tailback and he has done a decent job for the Packers.  Kuhn has played in 9 games so far this season and he has carried the ball 62 times for 225 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 6 passes for 37 yards (6.2 avg) so far this year.  This production comes as somewhat of a surprise as Kuhn only rushed for 46 yards on 18 carries (2.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his first 55 games in the NFL.  He also had 14 catches for 90 yards (6.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs coming into this season.  The Packers need him to keep up the good work in the second half of the season.

The Packers have waived 25-year old linebacker Rob Francois.  Francois played in 3 games for the Packers this year and he had 1 tackle.  The Packers have activated rookie RB James Starks off the Physically Unable to Perform List.  This is good news for the Packers as they could use some help at running back behind Brandon Jackson & John Kuhn.