Aaron Rodgers passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns as the Green Bay Packers earned a 43-37 victory over the Atlanta Falcons to keep pace in the race for the top seed in the NFC.
The Packers outscored Atlanta 24-0 in the second quarter in building a commanding 31-7 halftime lead.
The Falcons managed to rally in the second half due to a monster game from receiver Julio Jones, who caught 11 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a hip injury.
But the hole was just too big for the Falcons to climb out of.
The Packers four possessions in the second quarter: Eddie Lacy 1-yard touchdown run, Mason Crosby 38-yard field goal, Lacy 1-yard touchdown reception and Jordy Nelson 10-yard touchdown reception.
The Falcons four possessions in the second quarter: punt, interception, punt, Matt Bryant missed field goal.
The Packers defense did yield 465 yards of offense to the Falcons with Jones providing the majority of the production. Matt Ryan passed for 375 yards and four touchdowns for the Falcons on the night.
Eric Weems caught a 5-yard touchdown from Ryan and Bryant booted a 50-yard field goal to close the gap to 34-17. After another Crosby field goal, Jones caught his touchdown, a 22-yard pass from Ryan, to pull within 10 of the Packers.
But Rodgers answered back with a 60-yard bomb to Nelson to take a 40-24 lead following a blocked extra point.
Roddy White caught a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to again pull the Falcons within 10. The gap closed to just one score with Ryan hooked with Harry Douglas for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:11 left to play.
However, the Packers recovered the ensuing onside kick. Rodgers and James Starks, who also had a 3-yard touchdown run to kickoff the scoring in the game, converted a pair of first downs which allowed the Packers to run out the rest of the clock and preserve the win.
The Packers finished with 502 yards of offense on the night as Starks and Lacy combined to rush for 148 yards as well.
