Blown Away In Green Bay: Packers Win Big

Notice to all those fans who intend to occupy front-row seats at Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., later this month: Watch out for flying Packers.

“We’re going to win it all,” Coach Mike Holmgren said rather nonchalantly Sunday after Green Bay’s 37-20 NFC wild-card victory over Atlanta at Lambeau Field. That would suggest the Packers expect to launch themselves past the 49ers in next week’s NFC divisional playoff game in San Francisco.

“I don’t know how close their stands are in San Francisco,” said Green Bay wide receiver Robert Brooks, who took LeRoy Butler’s impromptu 1993 dive into the stands celebrating a defensive touchdown, and patented it into his own routine this season. “But if they’re close enough, I’m jumping.”

Bold talk, of course, for a team that has been in this same position the past two years only to fall flat. Bold talk, indeed, because the last time the Packers won a divisional playoff game was in 1967 when Vince Lombardi was head coach.

“We’re going to win it all,” said Holmgren, who will be matched against San Francisco - his former team - for the first time since leaving after the 1991 season to become the Packers’ head coach.

“You know what? Why not? We know that San Francisco and Dallas, until they are beaten in the NFC, they are the best teams. But I’m sure Ray (Rhodes) is talking to his group in Philadelphia and I’m going to talk to our group and we’re both gonna go in believing we can win those football games.

“We’ll talk about that all week - the situation we have been in the last two years. But I think we’re maturing and developing a different type of attitude toward the playoffs. That all comes with growing up.”

Spanked by the Cowboys the past two years, the upstart Packers contend they cannot be stopped this year.

“When we started off the year, our goal was to make the Super Bowl,” said Edgar Bennett, who passed Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung (tied with 105 yards each) to set the Packer playoff single-game rushing record with 108 yards in 24 carries. “We’re looking forward to this game with San Francisco. I think it will put us up there with the elite.”

Atlanta knocked off the 49ers a week ago, and the Packers had their way with the Falcons, but let’s not get ridiculous. The Falcons slipped past the 49ers in the Georgia Dome; they just slipped and fell against the Packers on the mushy tundra.

“Our defense did a great job of mixing it up against Atlanta and keeping (quarterback Jeff) George off balance,” Holmgren said. “We were also able to run the ball and keep their offense on the sideline.”

More than that, the Packers were able to deliver the knockout punch, with wide receiver Antonio Freeman returning a punt 76 yards for a second-quarter touchdown to give Green Bay a 10-point lead. The Falcons came no closer.

“After seeing what had happened to Detroit against Philadelphia, it was kind of a wake-up call for all of us,” said Brett Favre, Packers quarterback. “We were hearing things from Atlanta about how they had us right where they wanted us, with us being overconfident. But we weren’t that way - we were ready for a battle.”

The Falcons put up an early fight and took a 7-0 lead on George’s 65-yard touchdown pass to Eric Metcalf, but then the Packers began climbing the walls. Bennett tied the game with an 8-yard run, and Brooks turned Atlanta cornerback Darnell Walker in circles on the way to catching a 14-yard TD pass from Favre.

The Packers took a 27-10 lead by halftime, with Favre marching Green Bay 85 yards in 14 plays, including 34 yards from Bennett on the ground and passes to seven receivers - capped by a 2-yard scoring toss to tight end Mark Chmura.

“That’s kind of the epitome of what we have become this season,” said Favre, who completed 24 of 35 passes for 199 yards. “That drive was something special, and the drive in the fourth quarter kind of drove a stake in their heart.”

The Falcons closed to within 10 points of the Packers in the opening minute of the fourth quarter after George threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Birden. But the Packers responded with a 70-yard, 12-play drive, ending with Favre’s 18-yard TD throw to the corner of the end zone to fullback Dorsey Levens.

Notes

The temperature at kickoff was 30 degrees with a wind chill of 20. The field, slick in spots and muddy in others, was a balmy 40 degrees at kickoff because of seven miles of heating coils underneath the surface. … The Packers have won 18 of their last 19 games at Lambeau Field, including eight straight, and are 21-4 there in four seasons under Mike Holmgren. … Reggie White, still hampered by a torn left hamstring, played 18 snaps. He often lined up at tackle. … The Falcons hadn’t visited Lambeau since 1981, when they won 31-17. … Packers left guard Aaron Taylor, who tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in 1994 and missed last season, sustained the same injury in his left knee and will undergo surgery this week. … The Packers, who set the NFL record for fewest (16) takeaways in a 16-game season, got two interceptions.

Packers 37, Falcons 20

Atlanta 7 3 0 10 - 20

Green Bay 14 13 0 10 - 37

First quarter

Atl-Metcalf 65 pass from J.George (Andersen kick), 2:59.

GB-Bennett 8 run (Jacke kick), 6:43.

GB-Brooks 14 pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 11:35.

Second quarter

Atl-FG Andersen 31, :07.

GB-Freeman 76 punt return (kick failed), 6:23.

GB-Chmura 2 pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 14:11.

Fourth quarter

Atl-Birden 27 pass from J.George (Andersen kick), :53.

GB-Levens 18 pass from Favre (Jacke kick), 7:15.

Atl-FG Andersen 22, 10:54.

GB-FG Jacke 25, 13:04.

A-60,453.

Atl GB First downs 18 23 Rushes-yards 10-21 29-117 Passing 339 190 Punt Returns 2-6 3-72 Kickoff Returns 6-107 4-87 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 2-30 Comp-Att-Int 30-54-2 24-35-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 3-27 1-9 Punts 5-37 4-43 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 5-67 5-36 Time of Possession 28:55 31:05

Individual statistics RUSHINGAtlanta, Heyward 9-21, J.George 1-0. Green Bay, Bennett 24-108, Levens 2-12, Favre 3-(minus 3).

PASSINGAtlanta, J.George 30-54-2-366. Green Bay, Favre 24-35-0-199.

RECEIVINGAtlanta, Metcalf 8-114, Birden 6-64, Emanuel 6-62, Mathis 5-93, Heyward 3-20, T.Brown 1-14, Lyons 1-(minus 1). Green Bay, Brooks 7-73, Morgan 4-36, Jackson 3-23, Bennett 3-11, Levens 2-19, Chmura 2-15, Freeman 1-14, Henderson 1-4, Ingram 1-4.

MISSED FIELD GOALSGreen Bay, Jacke 46.