GREEN BAY Green Bay Packers Hoodie , Wis. — How fortunes have changed in less than two years for the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.The participants in the NFC title game in January 2017 are floundering this season. The Packers have already fired head coach Mike McCarthy.More Packers coverage from FOX Sports WisconsinPhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryFalcons owner Arthur Blank reaffirmed support for his coach, Dan Quinn, after a four-game losing streak dropped the team out of the playoff picture.The game between the Falcons (4-8) and Packers (4-7-1) on Sunday at Lambeau Field was once circled on the NFL calendar as a potential matchup between contenders jockeying for a home game in the playoffs.Instead, it’s turned into a matchup between disappointing teams each trying to avoid a losing season.“I think what you want to do when you go through a difficult stretch is you want to make sure you take the lessons first, and when you do that, there’s something that you have to gain,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you don’t like to admit it, but that’s where the learning takes place the most.”It sounds a lot like what the Packers are going through at Lambeau, where the future is clouded by uncertainty.Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin took over as interim head coach after McCarthy was fired following the stunning 20-17 loss last week to the lowly Arizona Cardinals.A coaching veteran with a dry sense of humor, Philbin has delivered simple messages at a time of upheaval.“I told the offense, we’ve got to block, we’ve got to throw and catch, we’ve got to run hard with the ball. That’s really ultimately what wins games,” Philbin said. “Schemes are important, but not as important as playing guys together and playing with great effort and playing fundamentally sound. That’s really the focus.”The Packers have lost three straight and five of six. They need lots of help to get into the postseason even if they can somehow win their last four games.“I think everybody’s kind of realizing that we’re all under the microscope even more. Who knows what the changes are going to be after the season,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “So I feel like the energy was good today. Unfortunately the urgency that you need early in the season, we kind of had out in practice today.”Other notes and things to watch:10<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Potential head coaching candidates for the PackersRODGERS RECORD WATCHAt least the game could be worth watching for the quarterback play. Rodgers’ 61.8 percent completion rate this year is his lowest since 2015 (60.7 percent), though he has thrown just one interception all season. Rodgers has thrown a franchise-record 336 attempts without an interception, trailing only New England’s Tom Brady (358 in 2010-11) for longest such stretch in league history.THIRD-QUARTER BLUESOne of the Falcons’ goals for the week is to jump-start their abysmal third-quarter scoring. Atlanta has been outscored 71-34 in third quarters, including 6-0 in last week’s 26-16 loss to Baltimore. The Falcons ran only five plays and held the ball less than two minutes in the quarter. By contrast, the Falcons’ 115 second-quarter points and 107 fourth-quarter points rank among the top five in the league.CALLING PLAYSPhilbin, the former Dolphins head coach in his second stint as a Packers assistant, has extensive experience coaching and putting together offensive game plans. But the previous time that Philbin called plays was when he was a college assistant at Northeastern in 1995-96. He’ll assume those duties again on Sunday since McCarthy was the play-caller in Green Bay. Of course, the Packers also have a veteran at quarterback in Rodgers who is often at his best out of the pocket when a play breaks down.WELCOME BACKThe Falcons have lost eight players to injured reserve this season, including long snapper Josh Harris this week. They finally had a key starter return from IR last week when linebacker Deion Jones set a career high with 15 tackles and a sack against the Ravens. Jones missed 10 games after suffering a broken right foot in the opener against Philadelphia. Jones’ 15 tackles were the most by a Falcons player this season.RUN TIMEThe Falcons have the NFL’s worst rushing attack, averaging just 79 yards a game. They were held to 34 on the ground last week against Baltimore , a week after a season-low 26 against the Saints.“When we’re at our best, we’re running the football and we’re able to create play-action passes http://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Jace-Sternberger-Jersey ,” quarterback Matt Ryan said.This might be the week they get things going. Green Bay allowed a season-high 182 yards on the ground to the Cardinals last week, who have the league’s second-worst rushing offense.7<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:Upon Further Review: Packers vs. CardinalsAP | Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved.—ATLANTA (4-8) at GREEN BAY (4-7-1)SUNDAY, 1 p.m. ET, FoxOPENING LINE — Packers by 6 1/2RECORD VS. SPREAD — Atlanta 3-9, Green Bay 4-7-1SERIES RECORD — Packers lead 17-16LAST MEETING — Falcons beat Packers 34-23, Sept. 17, 2017LAST WEEK — Falcons lost to Ravens 26-16; Packers lost to Cardinals 20-17AP PRO32 RANKING — Falcons No. 23, Packers No. 21FALCONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (32), PASS (5)FALCONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (27), PASS (25)PACKERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (21), PASS (6)PACKERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH (25), PASS (6)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES —Meeting between now struggling participants of NFC title game in 2016 season won by Falcons. … Atlanta has won three straight in series. … Previous meeting was in Atlanta for Falcons’ first win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. … QB Matt Ryan third in NFL with 3,814 yards passing. Ryan has 124.9 rating with 12 TDs and one INT in last four against Packers, including playoffs. … RB Ito Smith second among NFC rookies with four rushing TDs. … WR Julio Jones leads NFL with 1,323 yards receiving. … LB Deion Jones had career-high 15 tackles and sack last week, returning after missing 10 games due to injury. … Defense 31st in NFL against third downs (51 percent). … Packers led by interim head coach Joe Philbin for first time following firing of Mike McCarthy. … Also offensive coordinator, Philbin calling plays for first time in 16 NFL seasons. … QB Aaron Rodgers has thrown franchise record 336 attempts without INT, trailing only Patriots QB Tom Brady (358 in 2010-11) for longest such stretch in league history. … Offense 26th in league in third-down situations (35.6 percent) … RB Aaron Jones second in NFL with 5.73 yards per carry average. Jones’ six TDs since Week 10 tied with Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey for most in league in that span. … WR Davante Adams tied for second in NFL with 11 TD catches. … LB Blake Martinez has NFC-high 106 tackles. … Fantasy tip: TE Jimmy Graham coming off game with season-high eight catches for 50 yards. Graham also had 11 targets against Cardinals, tying season high. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Running back Aaron Jones‘ breakout game led to a breakthrough performance in the red zone for the Green Bay Packers.In Sunday’s 31-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Jones rushed for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns. With Jones taking some of the pressure off quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers scored four touchdowns in four possessions inside the Dolphins 20-yard line.It was Green Bay’s first perfect day with more than one red-zone possession since Week 4 of the 2017 season.“You saw it the other night,” Rodgers said on Tuesday. “Running the football in the red zone has not been a high priority for us, but the abilities that he brings slashing inside can give us some opportunities to run some more of those plays in the red zone.”Their next test comes on Thursday night on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.Situational football — red zone and third down — has been troublesome for Green Bay’s offense all season. Before the Miami game, the Packers ranked sixth in total offense (406.6 yards per game) Elgton Jenkins Jersey , but were only 14th in scoring (24.0 points per game) because of inconsistencies on third down (17th, 39.4 percent conversion rate) and the red zone (19th, 53.9 percent touchdowns).Against the Dolphins, they gained 377 yards but scored 31 points, thanks in large part to their success in the red zone.The threat of the running game gives the Packers (4-4-1) another option as they advance toward the goal line.While Jones scored on runs of 2 and 10 yards, Rodgers threw touchdown passes of 7 and 25 yards to receiver Davante Adams to punctuate the other two red zone possessions. Adams is tied for second in the NFL with nine touchdown receptions. Of those, a league-high eight have come in the red zone. Since the start of the 2016 season, Adams has a league-high 22 red zone touchdown receptions.The closer to the goal line, the less space there is to operate and the more difficult it becomes to throw. Adams’ edge comes from being one of the NFL’s premier route runners.“Because the window is so tight, and he can create enough separation to where he makes that window bigger,” Rodgers said.With the emergence of Jones, the Packers have another weapon to use in their push for a playoff spot in the crowded NFC. Jones missed the first two games of the season with a suspension, then was part of a three-man committee in the backfield before taking over as the starter.In the three weeks since the bye, Jones has carried 41 times, Jamaal Williams has carried 14 times and Ty Montgomery was traded to the Ravens.“The more carries you get, I feel like the better you’re going to get and the more of a game flow you get in,” Jones said.Entering Thursday, Jones and Williams both have 73 carries. Jones, however, has rushed for 494 yards (compared to 270 for Williams) on a league-best 6.8-yard average. Jones had a 67-yard run in the first quarter against Miami, the team’s longest since receiver Randall Cobb had a 67-yard run in 2013.With Jones’ emergence to join Rodgers and Adams, the Packers hope they have the firepower for back-to-back road tests against Seattle and Minnesota.“It puts the defense in a bind,” Adams said. “It puts them to where they’ve got to load up that box and it allows us to have more opportunities outside. If they keep moving the ball like that and slashing and making big plays, it’s pretty tough to figure out what to defend.”NOTES: The Packers held what coach Mike McCarthy described as a “very limited” practice on Tuesday before departing for Seattle in the evening. WR Randall Cobb (hamstring), CB Kevin King (hamstring), S Kentrell Brice (ankle), OLB Nick Perry (knee) were not traveling with the team, though the Packers said their game status would be updated on the final injury report on Wednesday.