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A20 SPORTS
Saturday 16 September 2017

New home for Falcons as they welcome formidable Packers

By The Associated Press last time the clubs met.
When the Atlanta Falcons The Minnesota Vikings,
host the Green Bay Pack- particularly second-round
ers in the NFL on Sunday, running back Dalvin Cook
it will be both an early in- (127 yards rushing) were
dicator of the NFC’s bal- impressive on Monday
ance of power as well as against New Orleans, but
their third matchup in less a short turnaround for a
than 11 months. trip to Pittsburgh is never
All three of those games enviable. Their last win in
have been in Atlanta, Pittsburgh was in 1995.
though this one will be at Pittsburgh seemed out
a new venue. of synch last weekend
The Falcons are mak- against Cleveland. May-
ing their regular-season be star running back
debut at $1.5 billion Le’Veon Bell will be more
Mercedes-Benz Stadi- impactful after not report-
um, which replaced the ing until Sept. 1; he had 32
Georgia Dome. yards on the ground last
“We’ve seen a lot of week, tying a career low.
them,” Falcons defensive Of note is how the Steelers
end Brooks Reed said, appear to be building a
breaking into a smile. “I’m defense to complement
sure they’re sick of com- their all-world offense led
ing down here. But we like In this Jan. 22, 2017, file photo, Atlanta Falcons players celebrate in the locker room after the NFL by Bell, Antonio Brown
football NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers, in Atlanta.
it.” Associated Press and Ben Roethlisberger.
Last season, the teams Week 2 began with the
first met in Week 8, when bracket.” Denver’s defense is just as dominant in New Eng- Houston Texans beating
Atlanta’s Matt Ryan They got to 1-0 in dissimilar good, so it’s a matchup land with the ball.Run- the Cincinnati Bengals
tossed an 11-yard scor- ways. of Dak Prescott, Zeke El- ning back Kareem Hunt 13-9 on Thursday.
ing pass to Mohamed Green Bay completely liott, Jason Witten and set a rookie debut record Deshaun Watson ran 49
Sanu with 31 seconds shut down Seattle — yet that terrific offensive line with 246 yards from scrim- yards for a touchdown in
remaining, pulling out a another highly touted against Von Miller, Aqib mage, while wide receiv- his first NFL start and led
33-32 victory. Both teams NFC contender — at Lam- Talib & Co. er Tyreek Hill has a 60-plus Houston’s depleted of-
went on to reach the NFC beau Field. Atlanta strug- Dallas last beat Denver in yard touchdown in five fense to a late clinching
Championship game. gled with lowly Chicago 1995, a Super Bowl season consecutive games. field goal.
That one was a blowout before a goal-line stand, for the Cowboys. Philly’s Carson Wentz, 4-0 The Bengals have failed
for Atlanta, which raced helped by a dropped The Broncos might have in September matches, to score a touchdown in
out to 24-0 halftime lead pass that should have found yet another dan- must watch for Chiefs the first two games of a
and cruised to a 44-21 tri- been a touchdown, al- gerous receiver in Bennie linebacker Justin Houston, season for the first time in
umph. lowed it to survive. Fowler III, who had two who had 4 1/2 sacks the their 50 seasons.q
Packers quarterback Aar- The Falcons will play with touchdown receptions
on Rodgers said he’s not their roof open, it ap- as they held on to edge
thinking about last sea- pears, for their first open- the Los Angeles Chargers
son. air home game since on Monday. But the run
“You can’t rewrite histo- 1991. game must be sharp in
ry,” he said. “It’s just two After manhandling the this one.
1-0 teams who both think New York Giants, Dal- The Philadelphia Eagles
we can be there at the las can really prove it is and Kansas City Chiefs
end of the season. These an NFC power again by meet after impressive
are the type of games, crossing over, heading to road wins.
like last week, that you the Rockies, and beating Eagles coach Doug
win these games and you the Denver Broncos. The Pederson is a disciple of
feel better in December Cowboys had the ball for Chiefs head man Andy
and January when you’re so long against New York Reid. Their forte is offense,
coming down to filling out that the Giants’ formida- and Kansas City was op-
that 12-team (playoffs) ble defense withered. portunistic and, at times,