Michael Penix Jr. was supposed to be the headline on Thursday night. Instead, the Atlanta Falcons made it a team-wide statement.
Atlanta rolled into Lambeau Field at 0-2 and still waiting to run a single play from the red zone this season. By the time the final whistle sounded, the Falcons had snapped that drought in style and walked away with a 35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers for their first victory of the Kevin Stefanski era.
The performance had a little bit of everything: the offense finally looked alive, the defense smothered Jordan Love and Green Bay, and the special teams unit was a clear positive for the first time all year. Stefanski was already 5-0 on Thursday Night Football as Browns head coach and 4-0 after a loss, and that kind of prime-time magic clearly followed him to Atlanta.
Penix’s first start of 2026 came after the ACL tear he suffered in Week 11 of 2025, and while he opened with an interception, the night belonged to Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
Robinson was the engine from the jump. He ripped off 29 carries for 194 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. His 55-yard burst set up Atlanta’s first red zone drive of the season, and he finished that sequence with his first rushing touchdown of 2026.
Drake London matched the energy. The connection between Penix and London was back in business, and injuries didn’t stop it from showing up on a big stage. London caught nine of 10 targets for 194 yards, including gains of 40 and 68 yards after quiet outings in the first two weeks.
The Falcons also got a major boost from a cornerback who stepped into a bigger role at exactly the right time. With A.J.
Terrell on injured reserve because of the groin injury he suffered against the Panthers on Sunday, C.J. Henderson started on the outside and played like a problem Green Bay never solved.
He finished with a team-high eight solo tackles and three pass breakups, including a key stop on Christian Watson.
That kind of performance stood in sharp contrast to the other side of Atlanta’s cornerback room. Mike Hughes was picked on throughout the night and gave up the 45-yard completion from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden, then was also the defender on Golden’s 15-yard touchdown. Golden finished with four catches for 80 yards and a score, and the Falcons paid the price for it.
One bright spot in the front seven was rookie Kendal Daniels, who continued to look like a strong find for Atlanta. The fourth-rounder handled his work next to Divine Deablo and made his mark against the run, posting an early tackle for loss and two run stops.
For a team that spent the first two weeks looking completely out of sorts with Cooper Rush, this was a much different picture. Atlanta played with more life, more control and far more confidence. After two rough weeks, the Falcons finally looked like a team that belongs in the conversation rather than one getting buried by it.
In Other News...
Bijan Robinson Suddenly Has A Rare Falcons Milestone In Reach
Bijan Robinsons name has already become central to the Falcons offense, and now it sits next to a piece of team history that would be unusual even by Atlanta standards. Amid a run of recent NFL milestones around the league, Robinson has given the Falcons something more immediate to watch in Week 3: the possibility of a running back reaching a franchise mark that has been on the books for years.
It is the kind of threshold that says as much about how the offense is using him as it does about Robinsons own versatility. For Atlanta, the larger point is not just that he is piling up touches, but that he is being put in position to leave a mark in a category not often associated with backs. The record is there, the opportunity is there, and now the Falcons have one more reason to pay close attention when the ball gets near the goal line. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Londons Frustration Puts Falcons Quarterback Decision Under A Spotlight
Drake Londons body language told the story during a recent Falcons game, when the receiver was seen yelling and pointing on the sideline as Atlanta struggled to find a rhythm on offense. It has not been the start London or the Falcons wanted, with the third-year pass catcher working through two games alongside backup quarterbacks and producing 6 receptions for 80 yards.
Michael Penix Jr. looms over the conversation because the pairing has already shown real promise when given time together. In 14 games with Penix, London has piled up 91 catches for 1,286 yards and 9 touchdowns, a track record that makes the quarterback decision feel even more important as Atlanta tries to stabilize its passing game and keep one of its top weapons engaged. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Face An Ugly Reality Entering Packers Matchup
The Falcons head into their Week 3 trip to Green Bay already carrying the kind of concerns that can make a road game feel even longer. The Packers bring the cleaner roster and the steadier quarterback situation, while Atlanta is still trying to find reliable play under center and across the board, two issues that have already shaped the early part of the 2026 season.
For Atlanta, the matchup is less about matching the Packers punch for punch and more about avoiding another lopsided afternoon that deepens the pressure around the team. Green Bay is being forecast to handle this one comfortably, which leaves the Falcons with an ugly reality in front of them and a chance to show some progress in a spot where the margin for error looks thin. [Read more 🡒]