Ty Montgomery II

Upon Further Review: Packers' Rodgers does it all in loss to Falcons

Published Oct. 31, 2016 5:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

Even a virtuoso performance from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't enough to overcome a laundry list of injuries and the league's top-ranked passing attack.

The Falcons edged the Packers 33-32 despite a lackluster performance by wide receiver Julio Jones, relying on No. 2 receiver Mohamed Sanu to carve up Green Bay's depleted secondary.

With his defense ailing head coach Mike McCarthy took to the air, spurring a shootout between Rodgers and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan that lived up to the hype.

In the end Rodgers came up just short despite throwing four touchdown passes and providing everything from two-point conversions to big runs for the Packers, as they fell to 4-3 and whiffed on a chance to gain ground in the NFC North.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

-- A loss is a loss, but this one was vintage Rodgers. He completed 73.68 of his passes and walked away with a 125.5 passer rating.

-- Rodgers completed touchdown passes to four different receivers, two of whom found the end zone for the first time. Rookies Trevor Davis and Geronimo Allison scored for the first time, while Jeff Janis had his first regular-season touchdown.

-- He completed passes to seven different receivers, getting virtually everyone but running back Don Jackson involved in the passing game.

-- Davante Adams led the Packers with 12 receptions on 14 targets, and has now been targeted 30 times over the last two weeks.

-- Jordy Nelson's first catch of the night was a 58-yard strike, while his second was a five-yard touchdown reception. He struggled to produce the rest of the way, catching just two of his next seven targets for 21 yards.

-- He now leads all receivers with six touchdowns, tied with Michael Crabtree of the Oakland Raiders and Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

-- Versatile scoring threat Ty Montgomery missed the game with an illness, while Randall Cobb was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Packers had seven inactives total, including cornerbacks Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, as well as linebacker Clay Matthews, running back James Starks and tight end Jared Cook.

-- Sanu was Ryan's favorite target, converting 10 targets into nine catches, 84 yards and a touchdown. He made five of those catches on the Falcons' final possession, including an 11-yard score.

DULY NOTED

-- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan outdueled Rodgers, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns, while finishing with a 129.5 passer rating. It was his best performance against the Packers in his seven career meetings with Green Bay.

-- Micah Hyde suggested before the game that only prayer could stop Falcons receiver Julio Jones from running roughshod over the Packers' defense, but however it happened, Jones was held in check. He didn't have a catch in the second half, and finished with just three receptions for 29 yards on five targets.

-- Nelson's speed may have been diminished a bit by his knee injury, but his coordination was on display late in the first half. Nelson juggled a Rodgers throw that came in slightly behind him over the middle, spinning and battling the ball back to himself on a 21-yard gain that set up a Packers field goal.

-- He may have hauled in two spectacular touchdown catches in the playoffs last year, but Janis' seven-yard score was his first in the regular season. He finished with 30 yards and a touchdown on four receptions for the second most-productive game of his career.

-- Allison has a pretty crazy success rate so far. He has two career receptions, both of which occurred on Sunday. One of them was a touchdown.

WHAT IT MEANT

Whatever has been ailing Rodgers appears to be well behind him, but the Packers' third loss has to sting a bit after the division-leading Minnesota Vikings came plummeting back to earth last week in a dismal loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers had a chance to gain ground with a win over the Falcons, and they'll have to hope for a Chicago Bears upset Monday night if they want to remain just one game behind. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are 4-4 after falling to the Houston Texans, giving Rodgers and co. little breathing room heading into matchups against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Rodgers nearly willed the Packers to a win on his own. In the absence of virtually anyone capable of running the ball Rodgers was also the Packers' leading rusher. He outgained Falcons running back Devonta Freeman on the ground, taking off six time for a career-high 60 yards and converting on a two-point attempt that put the Packers up by six late in the game.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME

Adams was Rodgers' go-to option for the second straight week, and has gone from a little-used red-zone threat to a target monster over the last two weeks. He has 206 receiving yards over the last two weeks, and is now the Packers' leading receiver with 424 yards on the season. He was Rodgers' first read on a number of plays, including Nelson's touchdown in the first quarter.

THAT MOMENT

Rodgers' third touchdown pass of the day was a thing of beauty. With less than five minutes remaining in the first half Rodgers rolled to his right on second-and-goal as the pocket collapsed, firing an off-balance rocket to Davis at the pylon to give the Packers a 21-13 lead.

THIS NUMBER

29 receiving yards -- Jones was dinged up against the Packers, briefly exiting with an apparent ankle injury. He finished with just three receptions, and was held under 50 receiving yards for just the third time this season despite facing a Packers secondary that has suffered injury after injury this season.

THEY SAID IT

"Personally I'm just really proud of those guys that made plays today." -- Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback.

"I think it shows the type of guys we have in our room. Somebody goes down, we've got guys that can step up and make plays." -- Jeff Janis, Packers receiver

"There's a lot of good in there, we just couldn't punch it in at the end." -- Davante Adams, Packers receiver

"I don't ride the highs and lows, I just continue to play." -- Aaron Ripkowski, Packers fullback

WHAT'S NEXT

The Packers have a week to prepare for what should be a shootout at Lambeau Field against quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Luck struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but threw for a whopping 353 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. The Packers' defense faces another major test in wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle, both of whom have come on strong in recent weeks. Receiver Donte Moncrief also returned to the lineup last week, and adds another dimension to an offense already loaded with receiving weapons.