There have been a number of times in history when an invading force has made landfall, and its commander has confidently given their army one choice, and one choice only: Proceed forward. There is no point of return, as London referenced in mentioning a burning of boats.
These Falcons played like it Sunday. While Green Bay hunkered down and attempted to protect its lead, Atlanta overwhelmed the opposition, outgaining the Packers 166-11 in the final quarter. The Falcons converted three of seven third downs, quarterback Desmond Ridder caught fire (completing 6 of 8 passes for 119 yards), and as momentum built in favor of the home team, it became clear this battle was far from decided.
Facing a starving adversary with no choice but to fight to the end, the Packers crumbled, none more apparent than when quarterback Jordan Love committed a false start on a fourth-down sneak attempt, forcing the Packers to punt the ball back to the Falcons and allowing Atlanta to mount one final scoring drive to take a lead that once seemed unlikely.
These Falcons embody their coach, Arthur Smith, an individual who unabashedly coaches in his own style. He does not give much thought to how those outside of the organization view him and his staff. And they’re 2-0 because of it.