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NFC NOTES FOR USE AS DESIRED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, 10/6/15 CONTACT: RANDALL LIU http://twitter.com/NFL345

FALCONS, PANTHERS & PACKERS FINISH FIRST QUARTER AT 4-0

As the NFL season enters the second quarter, there are five 4-0 teams – Atlanta, Carolina, Cincinnati, Denver and Green Bay – tied for the most in a season in NFL history (1968, 2003, 2009 and 2013). New England – who had a bye in Week 4 – is 3-0 and can be the sixth team to start the season 4-0 which would be the most in a season in NFL history.

Since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted, 83.1 percent of teams (59 of 71) to start 4-0 have qualified for the postseason.

In the NFC, the Falcons, Panthers and Packers lead the way.

Atlanta and Carolina share the top spot in the NFC South with perfect 4-0 marks. Over the past 10 seasons, it is only the third time that two teams from the same division each started 4-0: Detroit and Green Bay in 2011 (NFC North) and Denver and Kansas City in 2013 (AFC West). Those four teams all advanced to the postseason.

The Falcons, led by rookie head coach DAN QUINN, are 4-0 for the first time since 2012, when the team won the NFC South with a 13-3 record and advanced to the NFC Championship Game as the conference’s top seed.

“It’s the exact same feeling now,” says Atlanta RODDY WHITE, the franchise leader in catches (771), receiving yards (10,449) and (62). “Guys are just anxious to be out there. And that’s what you want as a team. Everybody’s waiting for the next Sunday. Everybody’s preparing and getting themselves and their minds ready for Sunday. If we can keep that edge going, we’ll be good. We’re taking this thing one game at a time. It’s the NFL. You’ve got to be consistent. You can’t think that we can just show up and beat people.”

Atlanta’s 137 points scored are the second-most in the NFL and the offense has been led by quarterback MATT RYAN, wide receiver – the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September – and running back DEVONTA FREEMAN. Ryan’s 1,202 passing yards are the second most in the NFL. Jones, who is the only player in NFL history to have at least 135 receiving yards in each of his team’s first three games, leads the league in receptions (38), ties for first in receiving yards (478) and ties for second in catches (four). Freeman leads the NFL with seven touchdowns and is the first player to rush for at least seven TDs in his team’s first four games since LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON in 2005.

“It’s a team effort,” says Freeman about the team’s 4-0 start. “Coach Quinn does a great job getting us to come out and compete every day. It feels good to score but getting the team victory is the most important thing. Individually, I want to be the best player but we want to go to the Super Bowl.”

The Panthers are 4-0 for the second time in franchise history. Carolina’s last 4-0 start was 2003 when the club won the NFC South and advanced to the Super Bowl.

“It’s nice to be in the situation we are in,” says Panthers head coach RON RIVERA. “We still think we have room to improve and be a better football team. We have a long road ahead of us. We still have 12 games left to play and it’s going to be a tough race all the way through.”

Carolina is allowing 17.8 points per game, tied for the lowest mark in the NFC. The Panthers lead the NFL in with eight and have a league-best +8 turnover differential (11 takeaways, three giveaways). Cornerback JOSH NORMAN leads the NFL with four interceptions and two -return touchdowns. Norman, who was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September, is the first player in franchise history with four interceptions in the team’s first four games. He is the first cornerback since in 2008 to record two INT-TDs in his club’s first four games.

“It feels real good to be 4-0,” says Carolina linebacker THOMAS DAVIS, who leads the team with 36 tackles. “It’s definitely exciting but we can’t just be happy with that. We have to understand that we have tough opponents coming up and we have to be ready for that.”

The Packers are 4-0 for the first time since 2011 when the team finished with the league’s best record at 15-1.

“We’re 4-0 and in first place in the division,” says Packers quarterback , who leads the NFL with a 125.9 passer rating. “We’re playing the kind of ball we want to play in most phases of the game. But there are peaks and valleys throughout the season and there are ups and downs.”

Rodgers, who won his first MVP award during that 2011 season when he set the single-season passer rating record (122.5), is once again at the forefront of Green Bay’s success. He has 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions and is only the third quarterback in NFL history to have at least 11 touchdown passes without an interception in his team’s first four games (, 2013 and DON MEREDITH, 1966). Wide receivers RANDALL COBB and JAMES JONES each have four touchdown receptions, tied for the second-most in the NFL this season.

The Packers are allowing 17.8 points per game, tied for the lowest mark in the NFC. Green Bay has recorded 17 sacks, tied with St. Louis for the second-most in the NFL and the most in the NFC. The Packers are the only team in the NFL to have three players with at least three sacks: linebackers JULIUS PEPPERS (3.5), CLAY MATTHEWS (3.0) and NICK PERRY (3.0).

“We’re excited to get to 4-0,” says Packers head coach MIKE MC CARTHY. “That’s the most important part for our football team. We have a ton of work to do and we’ll continue to work.”

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