Packers 3 - Falcons 10 at halftime

The first half of the Green Bay Packers - Atlanta Falcons game played out somewhat as expected: a battle of very good teams, but with a few glitches on both sides. For the Falcons, those glitches were penalties. For the Packers, those glitches were missed opportunities, including failure to challenge a 4th down pass reception by Tony Gonzales on the go-ahead TD drive by the Falcons.

The biggest missed opportunity, though, was a fumble on a quarterback sneak by Aaron Rodgers in the endzone, where the Pack would have gone up 10-3. Instead, the Falcons took the ball at the 20 and put together that 80-yard drive (incl. the non-catch catch on 4th down) to convert their own TD on a blown 3rd-and-goal coverage on TE Tony Gonzales. The Falcons are up 10-3 at halftime.

As Howie Long is saying during halftime comments on Fox, the failure of the Packers to challenge a bad spot on a 3rd down slide by Aaron Rodgers and then the non-catch by Gonzales account for 11 points in this game.

The Packers have to get it going at a higher level than they are now. There will be no help from the refs on spots. The team is playing sharp, just not sharp enough to overcome any mistakes against a team like the Falcons. Gotta kick it up a notch!

Go Pack Go!!!