A Thursday night trip to Green Bay gives the Packers a chance to steady themselves, while the Falcons are trying to stop the bleeding after a rough opening stretch.
Green Bay comes in off an overtime win over the New York Jets, a result that kept the Packers from falling to 0-2. Jordan Love and company did enough to rally past New York on Sunday, and now they get a home spot against an Atlanta team that has looked out of sync through two weeks.
The Falcons have dropped back-to-back games with Cooper Rush at quarterback. Rush was pulled in Week 2 for rookie Jack Strand, who then turned it over twice in a lopsided loss to Carolina. Michael Penix Jr. could be available in Week 3 after recovering from a torn ACL, but Atlanta has been without both him and Tua Tagovailoa, who is dealing with an oblique injury, through the first two games.
Oddsmakers have made Green Bay a clear favorite at home after the Packers opened 2026 with a pair of road games. The bigger question is whether they can finally cover a spread for the first time this season.
Love’s play has been a big reason the Packers have been uneven. He was shaky in Week 1 against Minnesota, completing only 50 percent of his passes, though he still threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Against the Jets, he finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards, but he did throw two touchdowns.
With Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, the pressure is on Love to keep the offense moving. Green Bay was in the bottom half of the league in EPA/Play in Week 1, and the quarterback has had to do a lot of the lifting.
Atlanta’s offense has been a mess even with Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London in the mix. The Week 2 loss to Bryce Young and the Panthers only added to the concerns, and now the Falcons have to deal with a Packers defense that tightened up late to close out the Jets.
Green Bay has yet to cover this season, but that came in two road matchups against solid competition, including the now 2-0 Vikings. Atlanta, meanwhile, entered the year with one of the lowest win total projections in the league, and nothing about the first two weeks has changed that outlook.
On a short week, Penix and Tagovailoa both appear to have an uphill climb just to get ready, let alone be effective. The pick is to lay the points with Green Bay, with the expectation that the Packers take another step forward offensively in the weeks ahead.
In Other News...
Falcons Captain Had A Blunt Response To Fans Booing Sunday
The mood turned quickly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday as the Falcons home opener slipped away in a 34-3 loss to the Panthers, and the boos that followed were hard to miss. For a team trying to settle in early at home, it was the kind of afternoon that leaves little room for spin, and linebacker Divine Deablo, one of Atlantas captains, did not try to offer any.
Deablo took accountability for the performance and did not place blame on the crowds reaction, a stance that matched the tone set by fellow captain Jessie Bates III. For the Falcons, the bigger issue was not the noise from the stands but the way the game unraveled, and how quickly their first home chance of the season became a frustration for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Added More Tension To Atlantas Ugly Loss
The Falcons Week 2 loss to the Panthers was already messy on the field, and it only got more uncomfortable for Atlanta when Drake London got into a verbal exchange with someone in the stands. London later acknowledged that personal comments from the individual triggered his reaction, and he said he regretted how he responded. For a team already trying to sort out an offense that sputtered with veteran Cooper Rush starting before rookie Jack Strand took over, the sideline-to-stands moment was another distraction in a game Atlanta would rather forget.
London remains one of the most important pieces of the Falcons attack, which is why anything pulling attention away from the football matters. The incident added another layer of frustration to an afternoon when the offense never found much rhythm, and it left Atlanta dealing with not just the loss itself but the kind of sideline fallout that can linger after a rough Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Offense Is Becoming An Early Problem Fans Feared
Through two weeks, the Falcons have landed in an unwelcome spot near the bottom of the leagues latest NFL power rankings, sitting 32nd after a start that has only deepened early worries about the offense. The updated list paints Atlanta as a team still searching for answers, with little evidence so far that the unit is close to finding the rhythm fans expected heading into the season.
The concern is less about one rough Sunday than the broader feeling that this could linger if the offense does not quickly stabilize. Miami is only one spot ahead at 31st, which underscores just how shaky the early-season picture looks for both teams, but for Atlanta the bigger issue is whether the problems on offense are becoming a pattern rather than a short-term slump. [Read more 🡒]