
Falcons describe how they turned tide against and Packers
The Falcons pounced on the Packers' miscues in the first half to seize control of the NFC Championship Game. Listen to how it all went down.

The situation: Trailing the Falcons 7-0, the Packers face fourth-and-4 from the Atlanta 23-yard line.
“Unfortunately, a game like this comes down to the little details. If you're not on, and you're making little mistakes like that, it's going to be tough to win against a really tough offense. ” -- Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
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The play: The Packers need an answer to the Falcons' opening drive, which spans 13 plays and 80 yards. Green Bay moves the ball 52 yards but stalls at the 23-yard line, which brings in Mason Crosby for a 41-yard field-goal attempt. Crosby, who had made a playoff-record 23 consecutive field goals, kicks it wide right for the first miss in 33 attempts by kickers this postseason. The Falcons respond on their ensuing possession with a 12-play, 59-yard drive capped by a 28-yard field goal by Matt Bryant to take a 10-0 lead.
“Obviously, my job is to make that kick and get us points there on the first drive. I feel sick about it ...” -- Packers kicker Mason Crosby
Erik S. Lesser/EPA

The situation: Trailing the Falcons 10-0, Green Bay has first-and-10 at the Atlanta 23-yard line.
The play: The Packers are moving the ball with ease on the Falcons' defense, including a 22-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb. Green Bay's Aaron Ripkowski rushes for 10 yards and carries a pile of Falcons defenders to the 11-yard line, but Atlanta cornerback Jalen Collins rips the ball from the second-year fullback's arms.
“I'm sure what it was is I didn't double wrap in time. Instead of fight for extra yards, hindsight, I probably should have just fell down.” -- Packers fullback Aaron Ripkowski
Tom Pennington/Getty Image


The first fumble of Ripkowski's career is recovered by the Falcons in the end zone for a touchback. Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offense take over at the 20 and march 80 yards in nine plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by Ryan, his first in the postseason since 2012. The Packers go from potentially trailing 10-7 -- if they finished that promising drive -- to down 17-0.
“Our philosophy, second man in, go try to get that ball out!” -- Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins
John Bazemore/AP Photo, Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports

“The turnover he was able to create, and for us to bounce back and go down and put points on the board, it was really, really important.” -- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan
Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports


The situation: Trailing the Falcons 17-0, the Packers take over at their 10-yard line with 3:09 left in the half.
The play: Following the Ricardo Allen interception, the Falcons had the ball at their 32-yard line with 1:47 left in the half. It essentially serves as a punt to the Falcons, who work their way to the Packers' 5-yard line with seven seconds left. After an incomplete pass intended for Mohamed Sanu, Ryan hits Julio Jones, who reaches high for the ball while dragging his feet for a 5-yard touchdown with three seconds left before halftime. The Packers trail 24-0, and any hope of seizing some momentum is gone.
“So I kind of slow played it coming off the ball, and Matt just gave me a back shoulder.” -- Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images, Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports




