FTW: The Falcons offense is unstoppable
Based on the pre-game coverage of the NFC Championship, you would have thought it was the Packers, and not the Falcons, who had just completed one of the greatest offensive seasons in NFL history.
Atlanta scored the seventh-most points in league history during the regular season, Matt Ryan led the league in passer rating and is the odds-on favorite to win MVP but it was Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers who received most of the attention from the national media.
Then, for three hours on Sunday during the Falcons' 44-21 win over the Packers, the football world got to see what Atlanta had witnessed all season: An offense capable of hanging 40 points on any team it plays. It's not only capable of doing so, at this point, it's almost expected to hit that mark every time out.
The Packers defense never stood a chance. No matter what strategy it used, the Falcons had an answer. Double Julio Jones? Mohamed Sanu will take advantage of single coverage. Drop two safeties deep to slow down the pass? Devonta Freeman will gash you in the run game. Play base defense to help out against the run? Tevin Coleman splits out wide and abuses a linebacker in coverage.
The Falcons offense may not be loaded with blue chip weapons, but it has no exploitable weaknesses. And offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is expected to take the 49ers head job after the Super Bowl, has crafted a perfect system to take advantage of all the skill players on the roster.
Playing against the Falcons offense has to feel like playing the world's most difficult game of whack-a-mole. Hammer one mole, and three more pop up. During the regular season, Ryan threw touchdown passes to 13 different receivers. Falcons runners combined for 20 touchdowns on the ground. Shanahan has struck a balance that we haven't seen in the NFL in a very long time. You have to go back to the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" teams to find an offense this dynamic.
This isn't the same Atlanta we've seen the past few seasons, which was a little too Jones-centric at times. In the seven games Jones was held to under 60 yards or missed with an injury, the Falcons went 7-0 and averaged 36.4 points a game. On any given day, Jones is either the best receiver in the NFL or its best decoy.
So where do Bill Belichick or Mike Tomlin start when devising their game plan for the Super Bowl? Shutting down Jones doesn't have the same impact on the Falcons offense it once did. Focusing on the running game is a dangerous approach considering how prolific Ryan has been this season. A strategy built around pressuring Ryan would be wise, in theory, but sending extra pass rushers leaves the defense vulnerable to quick throws to Freeman and Coleman out of the backfield.
It doesn't matter what defense this Falcons squad goes up against. It's going to score a lot points. As it has all season. Atlanta led the league in scoring at 33.8 points per game despite facing the second toughest slate of defenses in the league, per Football Outsiders. It's gone up to Seattle and put points on the Legion of Boom. It's gone to Denver and put it on the Broncos vaunted defense. Atlanta has passed every test and done so impressively.
If the Falcons are going to lose the Super Bowl, it's going to be in a shootout. And with the way Dan Quinn's defense has played over the last month or so, that's going to be a lot more difficult than it was in, say, October. Atlanta will not be the favorite going into Super Bowl LI, but it won't be the first time this team was underestimated this season.