ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando spent Sunday with ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden and the "Monday Night Football" crew in Green Bay, Wisconsin, site of the Atlanta Falcons-Green Bay Packers matchup in Week 14 (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET). Sando files a few takeaways from Gruden regarding key storylines for these teams, in Gruden's voice.
1. These Packers are better equipped to win in the playoffs than prior editions have been.
The Packers are a better football team, and it starts up front on both sides of the ball. The defense is more active up front with Mike Daniels and Letroy Guion. The Packers no longer have Ryan Pickett or Johnny Jolly. They are just more athletic and more disruptive up front on defense.
The offensive line is now a strength of the team. The Packers' new center, rookie Corey Linsley, is the best center in the league right now. He has incredible strength, and you saw that against New England and Vince Wilfork. Linsley can finish you. They also have Bryan Bulaga back at right tackle, and he is a big part of this. They have added another rookie, wide receiver Davante Adams, who is making a difference, as well. This is just a better Green Bay team.
2. It's a little scary, but there remains room for improvement by the Green Bay offense.
The yardage is impressive, the statistics are outstanding and QB Aaron Rodgers is one of the best there is, but the Packers didn't score enough in the red zone last week. It is hard to do against a Bill Belichick team and some of the elite defenses, and I am sure that is an area where they want to improve.
No team is perfect, but this one is striving for perfection. The Packers have a lot of things in place already, and the impressive thing is that they are capable of making strides in every area because they are talented and they really work at it. If they get better in the red zone and tighten up a couple of other areas, they could become even more difficult to stop.
3. There needs to be an investigation if Jordy Nelson is not in the Pro Bowl this season.
It's a shame that Nelson has not been recognized as a Pro Bowler to this point because he is just a phenomenal receiver. When you think of the really prolific offenses in the NFL over the years, you are often talking about teams that played in perfect conditions. Dome teams. Nelson is out there in short sleeves in cold weather.
He is a speed receiver who can do a lot of other things, as well. He blocks. He plays outside now, but he played in the slot previously when they needed him to play there. His awareness near the boundary is well-known. You had better be careful when you play single coverage against him because Rodgers will change the protection and shred you.
If you focus on Nelson, or even if you do not, Randall Cobb is a special player, too. He is so instinctive and versatile. Last week against New England, the Packers put Cobb in the backfield and got him matched up against a linebacker in Rob Ninkovich. That's a matchup Green Bay will win every time. These are tough receivers to defend.
4. Be careful what you wish for against Falcons receiver Julio Jones.
The Packers aren't the only team in this game with great receivers. You didn't hear the Packers' cornerbacks say much this week about Jones, and that is probably a smart policy to keep in mind after what happened to Patrick Peterson last week.
Jones is a superfreak; all you have to do is watch the tape of what he did against Arizona. Be careful what you wish for, and be careful when you play man-to-man coverage and how often you play it, because this is a guy who won't back down. He will get in the ring with anybody.
5. It's obvious why the Falcons have fallen so far.
If you compared the Falcons' roster against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago to what it is today, you'd see why they've dropped off so significantly. It is not the same Atlanta Falcons. They have lost Tony Gonzalez and John Abraham, and then this year they lost Sean Weatherspoon, their best defensive player, to injury. They do not have a pass rush. They are looking for one with Jonathan Massaquoi, Stansly Maponga, Cliff Matthews and some of these guys, but it just hasn't happened to this point. Osi Umenyiora is not the Osi he once was.
A couple of their inside linebackers, Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu, are undrafted players, although Worrilow is having a good year. William Moore has missed time. Thomas DeCoud is in Carolina. Robert Alford is hurt. They have a good scheme and have some pieces, but they are really just holding it together on defense. And then the offensive line has been shuffled around. It's just tough, even if they are the first-place team in the NFC South with a 5-7 record.