 |
| Photo: Drake London Credit: USToday |
On Sunday, with 0:56 remaining in the third quarter, it would have been fair if the Atlanta Falcons had conceded defeat.
Despite the fact that there was still a whole quarter to go, a team that had scored 12 points after three quarters would need at least 13 to prevail. Unfortunately for the cynics out there, the Atlanta Falcons accomplished just that, defeating the Green Bay Packers, 25-24, with a comeback that included a little bit of everything in the fourth quarter.
When given a few days to enjoy their accomplishments and the chance to comment on the victory, receiver Drake London was direct: Don’t write the Falcons off, NFL reported.
“I don’t know if y’all could feel it, but I felt like maybe Green Bay felt like they put us in the casket a little early,” London said during an appearance on Schein On Sports on SiriusXM Radio. “This team, don’t ever count us out. We’re going to still fight until we can’t fight no more, and that goes back to our motto — again, I’m gonna keep on saying it — burn the boats. We’re a well-conditioned team, we’re an aggressive team, and we’re gonna go out there and give you our best for the whole time being. And I think that’s kind of where we caught them in the second half.”
There have been numerous occasions in history when an invading force has touched down and its leader has confidently instructed his army to make only one decision: advance. There is no turning back, as London alluded to when he mentioned burning vessels.
On Sunday, these Falcons performed as such. Atlanta outgained the Packers 166-11 in the fourth quarter while Green Bay dug in and made an effort to hold onto its advantage. The home team gained momentum as the Falcons completed three of seven third downs, quarterback Desmond Ridder started to light up (completing six of eight passes for 119 yards), and it became evident that this matchup was far from over.
The Packers broke down when faced with a starving opponent who had no choice but to fight to the bitter end. This was especially evident when quarterback Jordan Love made a false start on a fourth-down sneak attempt, resulting in the Packers having to punt the ball back to the Falcons and allowing Atlanta to mount one final scoring drive to take the lead that had previously seemed improbable.
These Falcons are a perfect representation of their coach, Arthur Smith, who unapologetically coaches in his own manner. He doesn’t think much about what people outside the company think of him and his staff. And as a result, they are up 2-0.