What the Falcons’ 34-23 win over the Packers means for a pair of NFC favorites

The Falcons moved to 2-0, kept beating up on the Packers, and opened up Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a win all in the same night on Sunday. In the first regular season NFL game at Atlanta’s bananas new field, the Falcons beat Green Bay, 34-23.

In last year’s NFC Championship Game, the Falcons’ league-best offense blew the doors off the Packers’ defense and sent Atlanta to the Super Bowl, 44-21. That was the last Falcons game ever at the Georgia Dome, the team’s home since 1992.

The story was similar enough on Sunday, with Matt Ryan’s offense racking up 6.3 yards per play and winning a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Neither was that yardage average, which included a lot of second-half, clock-killing runs when the Packers knew they were coming. The Falcons didn’t throw much with a lead this time.

The Falcons raced to a 24-7 lead by halftime, more or less locking the game away after 30 minutes. It was really over when Desmond Trufant returned an Aaron Rodgers “fumble” — though it was nearly a forward pass — for a touchdown. This was a blowout, and the Falcons made sure to eliminate any possibility for drama.

The Packers showed some fight in the fourth quarter, cutting Atlanta’s lead from 31-7 to 34-23. That run included Aaron Rodgers throwing his 300th career touchdown on a little shovel to Ty Montgomery from a yard out.

Because the Super Bowl happened, maybe you felt like the Falcons’ advantage wasn’t safe. But this game wasn’t that one.

Some reassurance and another win to put on what should be a big pile by year’s end.

Winning’s good! The Falcons may or may not have serious competition in the NFC South this season, but they’re building an early collection of wins that only makes it likelier that they’ll take the division again. This performance was particularly impressive, with Atlanta favored by a field goal and winning in a cruise. I don’t think it’s a major deal that the second half was a lot slower than the first.

That Atlanta’s offense played well surprises no one. You stop sneaking up on teams when you ride 34 points per game to the Super Bowl, as this same offense did last year. Coordinator Kyle Shanahan is gone and replacement Steve Sarkisian is in, but it appears the Falcons can still score points. It’s good that we’ve sorted things out.

The Atlanta defense did a nice job keeping Aaron Rodgers and his friends in check, and the whole game was about as encouraging as it could’ve been.

It’ll be devastating. The end of the Packers as we know them.

I’m kidding. The Packers play in the NFC North and have Aaron Rodgers chucking the pigskin around at quarterback, so they’ll be just fine.

That’s not to say this result isn’t concerning. Atlanta’s the best team in the NFC until someone demonstrates otherwise, and to whatever extent this was a measuring-stick game, the Packers came up way short. That they didn’t figure out how to even contend with this Atlanta nucleus over a long, cold offseason is at least a little concerning.

Still, though: NFC North and Aaron Rodgers. There are no guarantees about these things, but a January rematch on this same field is entirely possible.