NFC Championship Game Preview: Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons - Injuries, Trends and ... Fog?

GREEN BAY, WI — The Green Bay Packers roll on to Atlanta to battle the Falcons in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. It will be the second time the two teams have met this season, with Atlanta winning the wild Week 8 match-up, 33-32, at the Georgia Dome.

2017 NFC Championship Game

• GREEN BAY (12-6) at ATLANTA (12-5)
• Sunday, Jan. 22
• Georgia Dome
• 2:05 p.m. CST

Injury Report

Packers: QUESTIONABLE: RB Christine Michael (back), WR Jordy Nelson (ribs, illness), WR Davante Adams (ankle), WR Geronimo Allison (hamstring), S Morgan Burnett (quadricep), CB Quinten Rollins (neck, concussion). OUT: RB James Starks (concussion), C JC Tretter (knee)

It should be noted, however, that three Packer wide receivers are all considered game-time decisions. "All three of the receivers will be given every chance to play in the game," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told NFL.com. Nelson, however, is expected to play and has been outfitted with Kevlar protection.

There was also a report that a flu bug was making its way through the Packer locker room - as if the injuries weren't enough.

And then there's the report that the Packers flight was delayed into Atlanta due to a case of fog ... and if you're from Wisconsin, you've been dealing with the fog all week.

Falcons: No players listed on this week's injury report.

What the Experts Are Saying

As of Friday, Odds Shark is setting the over/under on Sunday's game at 61.5 and is giving the Falcons 4 points over the Packers. While betting against Green Bay seems to be like betting trying to stop a freight train, many national panels of NFL experts are equally divided on who will win.

USA Today's panel of 5 experts including Jarrett Bell, Nate Davis, Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz, Tom Pelissero and Lorenzo Reyes are divided 3-2 in favor of the Packers, with all experts picking the winning team to score between 30 and 38 points.

Experts from SB Nation, including RVB, Stephen White, Thomas George, Jeanna Thomas, Adam Stites, Louis Bien, Joel Thorman, Fooch, and the OddsShark Computer are divided on the issue as well, with 5 experts picking the Falcons and 4 picking the Packers.

CBS Sports experts offer not much more clarity on who is going to win either, as their panel of experts including Pete Prisco, Jason LaCanfora, Will Brinson, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg are 4-3 in favor of the Packers with one expert abstaining. Fan voting on the site predicts the Packers over the Falcons with 55 percent of pollsters picking the Packers.

Last Time Out

In the Falcons Week 8 win, Packers fans will probably want to forget the name Mohamed Sanu. In that game, Sanu came up with nine catches for 84 yards and a touchdown but became etched deep in the memory of Packers fans for making several catches on the game's decisive drive resulting in the Falcons victory.

In that game, the two teams enjoyed sparkling quarterback play, with Aaron Rodgers completing 28 of 38 passes for 246 yards and four (count 'em ... four!) touchdowns.

Matt Ryan of the Falcons was equally good, completing 28 of 35 throws for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

Broadcast Information

FOX Sports will broadcast the game to a national audience. Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins analyst Troy Aikman and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Chris Myers. Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM) heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action.

How they Got There

The Packers earned the right to play in the NFC Championship game after a wild 34-31 victory over the NFC's top-seeded Dallas Cowboys in Texas. In that game, Mason Crosby’s 51-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 34-31 victory in the Divisional playoff was the longest game-winning field goal in NFL postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Falcons topped the visiting Seattle Seahawks 36-20 as Matt Ryan threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns, including a 14-yard touchdown pass in the waning moments of the first half after a 99-yard drive against one of the NFL's better defenses in Seattle.

5 Things to Watch in the NFC Championship Game

1) Key Receivers: The Falcons WR Julio Jones left last week's game against the Seahawks with an injury. The Packers hope to get WR Jordy Nelson back after he suffered broken ribs against the Giants.

2) The NFL's Stephen Curry: Aaron Rodgers has thrown 24 touchdown passes against one interception since Nov. 20. The Packers haven't lost a game during that stretch. He's looked like the NFL's version of Stephen Curry - striking from places and during moments most defenses can't predict nor guard against.

3) The NFL's high-wire act: The Falcons scored 540 points in the regular season, and they're averaging 35.1 points per game at home. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been nearly as good as Rodgers and had not much of a problem against the Packers the last time out.

4) Turnovers: During the last six games of the regular season, the Packers had 15 takeaways and just one turnover. That's a significant departure from the season's first 10 games, when they were -6 in the takeaway margin.

5) Offensive Line Play: Both the Packers and Falcons have built impressive human walls - and have made other teams pay for it. The Packers feature a trio of the league's top-rated pass defenders and give Rodgers ample time to throw the ball. The Falcons, on the other hand, have the only five-man unit to start all 16 games together this season, giving the offense a continuity to be successful.

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