Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (5-7) will brave the cold at Lambeau Field when they tussle with the Green Bay Packers (9-3) in a battle of NFC division leaders with wildly different records. Watch the Monday Night Football clash on ESPN or live stream it free by clicking this link. Packers fans can listen to the radio broadcast on WTMJ 620, while Falcons fans may do likewise on 790 The Zone.
The Falcons will enter tonight's game as 13-point underdogs, and by leading the NFC South with a losing record the Dirty Birds have become a bit of a punch line. That has to end, according to Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White.
"I'm upset because I just hear all the comments about us and our position and our division," White told ESPN.com. "Like no one has won a division going 8-8 or 7-9. When the Giants won the Super Bowl [in 2011], they were 9-7 going in and they barely got into the playoffs."
The most famous example of an underwhelming regular season team making noise in the playoffs is the 2010 NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks. They knocked off an 11-5 New Orleans Saints team, and running back Marshawn Lynch earned the nickname "Beast Mode" with one of the greatest single rushing attempts in NFL history.
White believes his Falcons are receiving more criticisms than other teams with less-than-stellar records in the same position.
"It's like everybody wants to be mad at us because we're in the position that we're in and other guys are winning games and they have better records than us. Don't nobody complain when other teams do it, so why such a big deal now? It pisses me off because it's not fair."
Atlanta toppled the Arizona Cardinals last week in their biggest win of the year, but will face a much better quarterback this week-Aaron Rodgers.
"It's a big challenge for us this week with Aaron Rodgers," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "No doubt, he's playing the best of any quarterback in the NFL right now. He's got a number of weapons he can get it to."
Falcons Injury Report
Robert Alford
CB
Wrist
Did Not Participate In Practice
Out
Justin Blalock
G
Back
Full Participation in Practice
Probable
Harry Douglas
WR
Foot
Full Participation in Practice
Probable
Stansly Maponga
DE
Elbow
Limited Participation in Practice
Questionable
Sharod White
WR
Ankle
Limited Participation in Practice
Questionable
Packers Injury Report
Jamari Lattimore
LB
Ankle
Did Not Participate In Practice
Out
Luther Robinson
DE
Calf
Did Not Participate In Practice
Out
Lane Taylor
G
Illness
Full Participation in Practice
Probable
Josh Boyd
DE
Knee
Limited Participation in Practice
Probable
Michael Daniels
DT
Back
Limited Participation in Practice
Probable
Thomas Lang
G
Ankle
Limited Participation in Practice
Probable
Nicholas Perry
LB
Shoulder
Limited Participation in Practice
Probable
Josh Sitton
G
Toe
Limited Participation in Practice
Probable
Samuel Shields
CB
Concussion
Did Not Participate In Practice
Questionable
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