FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — What a difference a week makes.

Most were ready to throw in the towel on the Atlanta Falcons’ 2014 season after a woeful loss to Cleveland as head coach Mike Smith mismanaged the clock down the stretch.

Instead, the Falcons, perhaps trying to seize the opportunity in the NFC South, came out and clobbered the Arizona Cardinals 29-10 and posted their first credible win of the season against a team with a winning record.

Next up, the Green Bay Packers.

“Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback on a great team, but we are just going to go in there with confidence and be mentally tough,” cornerback Desmond Trufant said. “We know it is going to be a battle but we are up for it.”

The Cardinals, who were without Larry Fitzgerald, dropped to 9-3. The Falcons remained tied for first place with the New Orleans Saints at 5-7. They hold the head-to-head hold tie-breaker over the Saints.

Perhaps gearing up for their trip to Green Bay, the Falcons, playing without wide receiver Roddy White, amassed 500 yards of total offense for the second time this season.

Atlanta posted 361 yards through the air and a season-high 142 yards on the ground.

“We’ve been kind of one off, in terms of our run game,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “When you watch the tape, we feel like we’re one off here, we’re one off there. This group has got five or six games underneath their belt, and they did a very good job blocking for Steven. It was good to see Steven create that explosive play.”

When the Falcons have been able to run the football they have been successful. Atlanta owns a 4-1 record this season when rushing for more than 100 yards.

Running back Steven Jackson broke a season-long 55-yard run to set up a touchdown on the Falcons opening drive. Jackson’s 55-yard scamper was his longest as a Falcon, topping his previous best of 50 yards set at New Orleans in his Falcons debut.

Additionally, the big run was his ninth career rush of 50-or-more yards.

“You see him take off and it was huge,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “When you’re running the ball against a really good team, you know there are going to be some of those one and two yard gains. I thought we stuck with it today knowing that if we just keep grinding it out, one or two of those are going to pop out the back end. It popped out early.”

However, the Falcons were 1 of 5 in the red zone and had to settle for three field goals in the 20-to-23-yard range. If they are going to keep up with the high-flying Packers, they need to turn those red-zone field goals into touchdowns.

The Falcons were able to find their big play offense against the Cardinals as they had four plays of 20-or-more yards. Atlanta gained 153 of its 500 yards of total offense on those four plays.

Ryan has completed 45 passes of 20 or more yards this season, including eight touchdowns.

“When you get rolling like that early and you get a little cushion, it’s a big difference,” Ryan said. “We continue to keep the foot on the pedal too and play aggressive, which is key when you’re going against a really good football team with a good defense.

“Coming into it, this was going to be one of those games that there are peaks and valleys and you’ve got to hang on when it’s not going your way.”

Notes: Cornerback Robert Alford (wrist) is being fitted for a cast and is expected to practice.

REPORT CARD VS. CARDINALS

–PASSING OFFENSE: B — Matt Ryan completed 30 of 41 passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and one interception that was returned for a touchdown. He finished with a passer rating of 105.8. Ryan has led the Falcons to a 37-3 record when he posts a passer rating of 100-or-higher during his career, including a 3-1 record this season. Julio Jones finished with 10 catches (on 12 targets) for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ 29-18 victory. Unofficially, eight of those for 165 yards came with Peterson in coverage, including the 32-yard score that staked the Falcons to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. In addition to Jones, wide receiver Harry Douglass had nine catches (on 12 targets) for 116 yards. Five other receivers also caught passes, including tight end Levine Toilolo, who caught four of six targets for 15 yards and a touchdown. At 6-foot-8, he could be used more in the red zone.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: F: — The running backs rushed 30 times for 134 yards (4.5 yards per carry). Devonta Freeman had eight carries for 26 yards and Jacquizz Rodgers had four carries for seven yards. It was their highest output of the season and helped to balance the offense. Offensively, running back Steven Jackson had 18 carries while playing 35 of 79 offensive snaps. He gained 101 yards rushing while playing 44 percent of the snaps on a highly productive day.

–PASS DEFENSE: C-plus — The Cardinals passed for 294 yards and one touchdown. Falcons safety William Moore played all 55 of the defensive snaps in his return to action. Moore finished with four tackles and one forced fumble. The Falcons used their dime defense on 44 percent of their snaps as Kemal Ishmael played 24 of the 55 snaps (44 percent) along with Moore and Dwight Lowery (100 percent) and a nickel back. Lowery and Josh Wilson had interceptions and Desmond Trufant recovered a fumble. The defense didn’t register a sack, but did get eight quarterback hits.

–RUSH DEFENSE: A — A week after giving up 162 yards to the Browns, the Falcons run defense shut down the Cardinals. They were held to 35 yard rushing on 11 carries. Andre Ellington left the game with a hip injury in the second quarter and did not return.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus — Matt Bryant set a career-high, connecting on all five of his field goal attempts. Bryant hit from 20, 21, 23, 28, and 45 yards in Sunday’s win. Including extra points, he tallied 17 total points which is tied for the fourth highest point total by any kicker in a single game in franchise history. His five field goals were tied for the second most in a single game in club annals. Devin Hester’s 68-yard punt return help to fuel the quick start.

–COACHING: B-minus — The offense showed what it could do with a respectable rushing attack. The run game just needs to be respectable. Not outstanding. The offense was able to move the ball with some regularity, but offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter needs to get Toilolo more involved in the red zone if they can’t power the ball into the end zone with the ground game. Matt Bryant kicked three field goals in the 20s. Those must be touchdowns next week in Green Bay if they Falcons are even going to stay in the game with the Packers. The defense held the Cardinals to 329 yards, including just 35 rushing. That was a major improvement after giving up 475 against the Browns. Fiery special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong got an unsportsmanlike penalty, but it didn’t prove to be too costly. The offense went on to add a field goal. His outrage was legitimate and both Drew Butler and Devin Hester should have been called for face masking penalties.