1982-12-26 Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons

[@denisceballos9745]

Del Rodgers (35) of the Packers does our sports on KCRA TV in Sacramento for many years now.

[@Playsinvain]

Edited out of this game was 14-0 and the Packers kick off. They fumble and the Packers recovered.. the refs gave it back to the falcons out of sympathy….and the rest is history

[@cowann3337]

Atlanta - GB 38 def ATL 7 Atlanta would go on to lose the Wildcard playoff to Minnesota 24-30 Green Bay would go on to lose the Divisional playoff to Dallas 26-37

[@KG-xt4oq]

Falcons should go back to this style/scheme uniform and helmet. Also, who the heck is the play by play caller? "Sacked behind the line of scrimmage"...as opposed to being sacked in front of the LOS? "Intercepted and then dropped"...isn't that a fumble? Incomplete pass? "And there is James Lofton with 2 touchdown passes to his credit"...ummm, Lofton is a WR who CATCHES TDs, not throws them.

[@gootchie]

The beginning of the end for Leeman Bennett. After a stellar game against Montana & Co. the previous week where Andrews played keep-away from the 49er offense the whole game and knocked the wind out of Ronnie Lott, the entire Falcons team fell flat as a pancake this week against Green Bay. The long touchdowns to James Lofton were no surprise, Lofton tended to eat the Falcons secondary for lunch every time he played them, but the Packer running game was remarkably efficient and what really beat the Falcons defense this day. The Falcon offense wasn't too terrible but was forced to abandon the running game when they fell behind, and had serious problems scoring in the red zone. And 16 penalties for 153 yards? That was almost half of the Falcon's total offensive output all day, lost to stupid mistakes. They did even worse the following week, pillaged by the Saints 35-6 without even scoring a touchdown, then after backing into the playoffs against Minnesota losing that game due to no offensive output, despite the defense and special teams stepping up and creating all the points. These three terrible losses, combined with the total inconsistency from one game to the next all season long, was the "plateau" referred to by Falcon owner Rankin Smith when he fired Bennett after the Minnesota loss.

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

OMG 4th and 28 early 3rd and you go for it?? No wonder Leeman Bennett was fired.

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I maybe a lifer Cowboys fan but I loved watching the old Falcons offense.. I always like Bartkowski but I am now seeing a fatal flaw, he hated checking down the ball to backs. This D for TL is not the same as 1980,wow. WHATA PLAY FAKE by Lynn Dickey and I always considered him garbage. However he could throw a deep ball. This is REAL football and I am shocked they called Roughness on the secondary of GB, this is 1982 not 2018. WOW. These two wide out combos were amazing. LOL, my Cowboys ended the Super Bowl hopes of the 78 and 80 Falcons and also this 82 Packers team. I would be tempted to throw all day to Jenkins and Jackson but they did not run the ball enough with their GREAT backs and I think that's what killed them in this game.

[@allenbackstrom8649]

So it looks like before he took up acting, Tim Robbins was coaching the Falcons.

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

NEW respect for Lynn Dickey, his play fakes were killer. I wonder if the Falcons TE JR> Miller was injured, not seen him all game. Also this was the HORRIBLE strike season...this was murder in 1982 for this 9yr old Cowboys fan. This was like the 4th game and Bartkwoskiat 10 picks???? WOW

[@gootchie]

Dickey was a hot-and-cold QB who could torch any defense on one of his good days, but tended to be prone to injuries, bone-headed mistakes in critical situations, and game-killing interceptions. He was all of the above the following year when he led the Packer offense to a record-setting season.