The Green Bay Packers’ Week 3 trip to Lambeau Field brings a handful of questions, and a few of them start with the football itself. After MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson both lost fumbles against the New York Jets on Sept. 20, ball security has become a major talking point inside the Packers’ offense.
Lloyd’s fumble was recovered by the Jets with 12:35 left in the fourth quarter, and he didn’t get another carry. Johnson lost his at 6:04 in the second quarter, with Jordan Love recovering it, and he was pulled before getting another brief chance later in the game.
He finished with just three carries after that, though one of them was an 11-yard run on the Packers’ overtime-winning drive. The Packers leaned heavily on Chris Brooks in that game, but they can’t simply sit Lloyd and Johnson.
“You obviously get upset, but like they're not going out there trying to fumble,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “If we give you the ball, what's the expectation?
It’s to protect it for the entire franchise. So, it's just one of those learning moments.
Hopefully, they can learn from that and just be better with their ball security moving forward.”
That same game exposed another problem: third down. Green Bay enters the week last in the NFL in third-down success rate at 19.05% after going 1 of 9 against the Jets.
The issue isn’t only about pass protection on obvious passing downs. The Packers are also averaging just 3.31 yards per carry, which ranks 29th, and they’ve been stuck in bad down-and-distance all too often.
On first-and-10, they’re averaging 3.22 yards per rush. On second down, they’ve thrown the ball 33 times and run it only nine times, a sign the offense hasn’t been staying ahead of the chains.
“It’s disgusting,” coach Matt LaFleur said of the third-down success rate. “I think you look at our third downs, I want to say we're last in the league in distance-to-go.
It's almost third-and-10 every time.” Injuries along the offensive line have made the problem harder to solve, and LaFleur may need to lean on short completions early just to create better situations later.
The offensive line itself is another issue entirely, and it could force Green Bay into some uncomfortable contingency plans. Against the Jets, LaFleur even considered using tight end Tucker Kraft at right tackle after a third offensive lineman got hurt.
Kraft was the one tight end who knew every play and could handle the spot in an emergency. Stenavich said the staff felt a huge sense of relief when guard Jacob Monk emerged from the blue tent and gave a thumbs-up that he could return.
This week, the Packers are expected to be smarter about their game-day active list, likely keeping John Williams or Travis Glover - and probably both - available in case something happens to Jordan Morgan or Anthony Belton. General manager Brian Gutekunst is also expected to keep searching for another tackle after starter Zach Bako-Bewele was lost for the season with a torn right patellar tendon.
Stenavich said he told the defensive coaches he might be looking for volunteers to take tackle snaps as an emergency precaution.
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta is turning back to Michael Penix. The Falcons have scored only 16 points in their first two games with backup Cooper Rush, who has been dealing with back spasms and has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions.
He was replaced by Bloomer native and fourth-stringer Jack Strand in a 34-3 loss to Carolina last week. Now first-year coach Kevin Stefanski has cleared Penix, who is returning for his first action since tearing his ACL in Week 11 last year against Carolina.
“We're two games into this and not pleased with the offensive production in these first two games, but excited about what we can do moving forward because that's our job as coaches,” Stefanski said. “We’ve got to get this fixed.”
The challenge for Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is straightforward enough on paper: deal with Bijan Robinson and keep Penix from hitting deep shots. Gannon likes to vary coverages, and Penix should see plenty of different looks in his first start of the year.
And then there’s Za’Darius Smith, who arrives with plenty of familiarity and, apparently, no shortage of motivation. The former Packers pass rusher has a grudge against his old team, believing Green Bay didn’t treat him well when a back injury slowed his career.
After the Packers cut him, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings, then had a sack and quarterback knockdown in the season opener. He also had a sack against Green Bay as a member of the Detroit Lions in ’24.
Through two games this year, Smith has 2½ sacks in just 44 snaps. Atlanta may move him around to hunt for favorable matchups against the Packers’ offensive line.
The Falcons rank 24th in sack percentage, though they’re missing 2025 first-round picks Jalon Walker, who has a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr., who is serving a league suspension. Those two combined for 16 sacks last year, and their absence has taken a major bite out of the pass rush.
Smith will get a chance to help cover that up in his first game at Lambeau Field since Week 17 of ’22.
In Other News...
Falcons QB Mess Just Sparked A Wild Veteran Debate
The quarterback picture in Atlanta has already turned into one of the leagues early talking points this season, with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined by injury and Cooper Rush having a rough opening stretch in the first two games. For a team trying to settle its offense before the schedule gets any tougher, the uncertainty under center has become impossible to ignore.
Robert Griffin III poured fuel on the conversation with a public critique of the situation, then floated a list of veteran free agents he believes could bring some stability, including himself, Cam Newton, Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Tannehill. Griffins name is the one that sent social media into overdrive, even though he has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2020, and the debate now says as much about Atlantas quarterback frustration as it does about any actual reunion talk. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Offense May Finally Get The Jolt Its Core Needs
After a rocky opening to the 2026 season, the Falcons are getting close to a much-needed reset under center. Michael Penix Jr. is expected back as the starter in Week 3, a development that could finally give Atlantas offense a steadier rhythm after Cooper Rush was forced into early action and struggled to move the group consistently.
That matters because this is not a roster short on core talent. Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts are all locked in on long-term contracts, giving Atlanta a foundation worth building around if the quarterback play stabilizes. Even with Penix's return offering some hope, the bigger picture still points toward 2027, when the Falcons may need to find their long-term answer at quarterback for good. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Face A Bigger QB Problem Than Just Cooper Rush
Cooper Rushs two starts have already pushed the Falcons into an uncomfortable spot at quarterback. Since stepping in because of injuries elsewhere on the depth chart, he has managed only one touchdown against four interceptions, and the benching in Week 2 made it clear the team is not getting the kind of control it needs from the position. More than the numbers, the concern is how much the offense has had to shrink around him, with the coaching staff appearing to trim the playbook rather than ask him to do too much.
The bigger issue is what comes next if Atlanta keeps looking for stability under center. Rushs struggles are not just a short-term problem for the Falcons, they may also ripple beyond their own building by changing how teams view veteran quarterbacks with a similar skill set. If Atlanta cannot get cleaner play from the position soon, the conversation will shift from one backup filling in to whether the Falcons have to rethink the entire way theyre managing the quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]