Atlanta Falcons rout Green Bay Packers to reach Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback Matt Ryan led a dominant offensive display as the Atlanta Falcons crushed the Green Bay Packers 44-21 on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history.

The Falcons, who will play either the New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers in the February 5 NFL showpiece, laid the foundations for an emphatic NFC Championship victory with a first half performance.

The Falcons surged into a 24-0 half-time lead after overwhelming the Packers defense with their varied running and passing game in what was the team's final game at Atlanta's Georgia Dome before they move into a new home.


"We played great today in all three phases," said an ecstatic Ryan after the win.

"We showed up. We did exactly what we've been doing all year. It feels really good," added Ryan, who completed 27 out of 38 pass attempts for 392 yards and four touchdowns.

Green Bay's star quarterback Rodgers was barely in the game in the first half, and could only watch as the Packers squandered an early scoring opportunity through a missed Mason Crosby field goal.

It got worse for the Packers when Aaron Ripkowski fumbled close to the Atlanta line as another golden Green Bay touchdown chance went begging.

The Falcons meanwhile looked threatening whenever they ventured into Green Bay territory.

Ryan flipped a short shovel pass to Mohamed Sanu from close range for the opening touchdown to make it 7-0 with the opening Atlanta drive of the game.

Matt Bryant then extended Atlanta's lead with a 28-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

- Rodgers struggles -

Another long Falcons drive then culminated with Ryan scampering over from 14 yards for a touchdown to push the score to 17-0.

Rodgers, struggling against a ferocious Atlanta defense, then threw an interception to give Atlanta the ball back at the end of the half. Ryan punished the error to hit Julio Jones from five yards to leave the Falcons 24-0 ahead at the break.

It got worse for Green Bay in the opening minutes of the second half, with the Packers forced to punt away their first possession.

Ryan then found Jones with a short pass and the star receiver galloped away for a 73-yard touchdown to make it 31-0.

Any flickers of hope for the Packers after Rodgers found Davante Adams for a two-yard score were then extinguished when Devonta Freeman gathered in a Ryan pass from four yards for a touchdown confirmed after review which made it 37-7.

Rodgers picked out Nelson for a short-range touchdown but it was too little too late and Tevin Coleman's three-yard run in the fourth quarter put Atlanta 44-15 ahead.

Tight end Jared Cook reduced the deficit with Green Bay's third touchdown from Rodgers' one-yard pass but the result was never in doubt.

Ryan said the Falcons had been determined not to let up on Green Bay despite building their massive first half lead.

"We knew going in against Green Bay and going against Aaron (Rodgers) it's never over," Ryan said. "He's such a great player. We just kept at them the entire four quarters. I'm proud of the way we competed."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL players in Ferguson show of support

ST. LOUIS -- Five NFL players for the St Louis Rams entered the field Sunday with their arms raised in the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture of protesters demanding justice for black teenager Michael Brown.

The pose has been the signature of demonstrators in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, where a white policeman shot Brown dead in August, and by protesters who hit the streets in major US cities in recent days after a grand jury decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the killing.

A spokesman for the St Louis Rams told US media that the team had been unaware of the players' plan, which was quickly condemned by the St Louis Police Officers Association, saying it was "profoundly disappointed."

Jared Cook, one of the players, said: "We kind of came collectively together and decided we wanted to do something."

"We haven't been able to go down to Ferguson to do anything because we have been busy. Secondly, it's kind of dangerous down there and none of us want to get caught up in anything," ESPN quoted him as saying.

"So we wanted to come out and show our respect to the protests and the people who have been doing a heck of a job around the world."

The other players were Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt and Chris Givens.

After the Rams scored a touchdown in the 52-0 home thumping of Oakland, Britt and another player, Tre Mason, again raised their arms in apparent solidarity with protesters who are demanding justice for Brown, 18, and reform of police forces in the US.

Tensions were also high in the streets of St Louis, where dozens of demonstrators protested outside the Edward Jones Dome, home of the Rams.

There were sporadic clashes between the protesters and riot police, with some football fans also getting involved.

The jury decision last week has revived long-standing questions about how police, especially white officers, interact with African Americans -- questions raised again after the recent fatal shooting in Cleveland of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

Looting erupted and businesses were set ablaze in Ferguson, a predominantly black St Louis suburb policed by a mostly white force, after the grand jury decision on November 24.

- 'Rebuild the city' -

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles pledged Sunday to get the troubled area back on its feet.

"We are recommitted to rebuilding the city and to once again becoming a thriving community for economic development and residential stability," he told a news conference.

"We are working hard with local and regional partners to reestablish resources available."

Protesters in Ferguson have shot at police, robbed locally owned stores and set cars and buildings ablaze. A church attended by Brown's family -- who had appealed for calm -- was burned down.

There were also demonstrations -- some violent -- in the weeks after Wilson shot Brown dead.

Protests have been dying down in Ferguson and elsewhere in the United States.

However in Washington, DC, demonstrators briefly shut down a downtown highway Sunday, local media reported, with pictures showing protesters holding hands blocking several lanes of traffic.

On Saturday, Wilson, who has been in hiding since the fatal shooting, resigned from the Ferguson police department, citing fears for the safety of local residents and fellow police officers.

He will not get any severance pay, said the mayor, who also unveiled plans and incentives to increase the racial mix of the Ferguson police department.

Despite that and Wilson's decision to quit with immediate effect, some Ferguson protesters also want the local police chief Thomas Jackson to step down.

"It's impossible for this community to move forward with him still in that role," local St Louis politician Antonio French told ABC News.

In a brief statement, Jackson again reiterated that he had no intention of resigning.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com