Michael Penix Jr. Ignites Atlanta Falcons in Commanding 35-14 Victory Over Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Have the real Atlanta Falcons finally arrived?

After enduring one of the most ineffective offensive stretches in recent NFL history during the first two weeks of the season, the Atlanta Falcons looked completely reborn in a commanding 35-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night at Lambeau Field. The return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from a torn ACL completely revitalized the team’s offense, delivering an impressive road performance in primetime against a depleted Packers squad playing without standout edge rusher Micah Parsons (ACL) and running back Josh Jacobs (commissioner exempt list).

Penix completed 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 256 yards, including one touchdown and one interception. Although he threw a pick on his third pass of the night, the third-year quarterback quickly settled into a rhythm and took control of the game.

Penix’s return to the lineup instantly unlocked the running game, which dominated the contest with 244 yards on the ground. Star running back Bijan Robinson led the charge with 194 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Brian Robinson Jr. contributed another score. Additionally, wide receiver Drake London put on a spectacular show, hauling in nine catches for 194 yards.

Atlanta’s defense consistently stifled Packers quarterback Jordan Love throughout the game, capitalizing on a Green Bay offensive line that was shorthanded, missing two key starters as well as their primary running back.

Love finished 28-of-52 passing for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Packers’ ground game was virtually nonexistent, managing only 17 rushing yards on the night.

After scoring a combined 16 points over the first two weeks—the lowest total in the league—Atlanta had already surpassed that output by halftime on Thursday with 17 points. Furthermore, the Falcons successfully snapped a historic streak of 27 consecutive drives to start the season without a red-zone snap, tying the 1997 Detroit Lions for the second-longest such streak in the last 45 seasons.

QB Performance: While Penix’s night began on a disastrous note with an interception on his very first series of the game, the third-year signal-caller settled in beautifully as the second quarter commenced. In his highly anticipated season debut, Penix was a flawless 13-of-15 passing during the second and third quarters, throwing a touchdown to tight end Austin Hooper and executing a perfect 5-of-5 on third downs over that stretch.

Stat to Know: The Falcons’ historic offensive struggles came to an end in the first quarter when they finally took a snap in the red zone, breaking their streak of 27 consecutive drives to start the season without doing so. This ties the 1997 Detroit Lions for the second-longest streak in the past 45 seasons, per ESPN Research. The 1992 Patriots hold the record at 34 consecutive drives.

Trend to Watch: Despite placing star cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. (groin) on injured reserve earlier in the week, Atlanta’s secondary received a major boost from the return of corner Billy Bowman Jr., who missed the previous season after tearing his Achilles. Bowman, alongside C.J. Henderson and Avieon Terrell—A.J.’s younger brother—did an exceptional job containing quarterback Love, stepping up despite the significant loss of Terrell, whom Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich describes as one of the top boundary corners in the league. — Marc Raimondi

Next Game: Oct. 5 at New Orleans Saints

The Packers’ issues extend far beyond their struggling offensive line. Unless they can give Jordan Love more time to throw and establish some semblance of a running game, the quarterback might not survive the season unscathed, and Green Bay could very well finish at the very bottom of the league in rushing.

Right tackle Zach Bakuniewicz (knee) is out for the season, and left guard Aaron Banks (toe/knee) appears constantly plagued by injuries. The team has started three different left guards in just three games, and the experiment of moving Jacob Monk to right guard has failed to yield any positive results.

Just two weeks after being hit 15 times by the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener, Love was sacked 11 times by Atlanta’s relentless pass rush.

Only once in Jordan Love’s career as a starter have the Packers mounted a comeback from a double-digit halftime deficit to win a game—during his first home start in 2023, when they rallied from a 17-0 hole to defeat the Saints 18-17. On Thursday night, not only was there no comeback, but the threat of one never even materialized.

While the Packers have salvaged tough starts before, and edge rusher Micah Parsons is expected to return in a few weeks, even his presence might not be enough to turn things around. The crowd at Lambeau Field expressed their frustration, booing the team off the field at halftime, with the boos continuing into the second half.

Most Surprising Performance: Green Bay started the season strong in run defense, but that all collapsed on Thursday. Through two games, they allowed just 87 rushing yards per game (eighth in the NFL) and held opponents to 2.9 yards per carry (second-best). However, they allowed Falcons star Bijan Robinson to run wild, rushing for 111 yards in the first half alone. Atlanta amassed 244 total rushing yards, averaging an impressive 6.3 yards per carry. While Robinson did his part to exploit the defense, the Packers severely hurt themselves with numerous missed tackles.

Stat to Know: When Jordan Love threw the ball away on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons’ 7-yard line to begin the second half, it marked the Packers’ fourth failed fourth-down conversion in as many attempts to start the season. This is the most failed attempts without a conversion in the NFL this season.

Trend to Watch: Perhaps star running back Josh Jacobs could have made a difference, but without him, the Packers simply have no running game. None. They entered the week ranked dead last in the league in rushing yards per game (64.5), and that figure will drop even lower after managing just 17 yards on nine carries on Thursday. MarShawn Lloyd carried four times for 11 yards, while Kaleb Johnson gained six yards on four carries. In total, Green Bay has rushed for only 146 yards through three games—their fewest rushing yards through the first three games of a season since 1933, per ESPN Research. — Rob Demovsky

Next Game: Oct. 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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