The Atlanta Falcons got the kind of night they had been waiting for, and they did it in convincing fashion, rolling past the Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
Atlanta piled up 498 total yards, erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 27 straight points, and kept the ball for more than 37 minutes. The Falcons also went 6 of 10 on third down and finished with 25 first downs, all while averaging 8.2 yards per play.
Even with all that production, Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London came away sounding like a team that knows it has more in the tank.
“I think he has a lot more. I think we all have a lot more that's untapped here,” London said.
That confidence came after a rough opening two games for Atlanta, one that left the Falcons searching for the version of themselves they expected to see from the start.
“The first two weeks was bad, and we wanted to get back on track,” London said. “The message was to get back on track, and today was a great day to do that.”
London was at the center of it all. He finished with nine catches for 194 yards, both career highs, and his 68-yard grab was the longest reception of his career. On the ground, Bijan Robinson added 194 rushing yards, the second-highest total of his career.
That one-two punch made life much easier for Penix. With Robinson forcing Green Bay to commit extra bodies to the run, the Falcons were able to open up the rest of the offense.
“With the run game and what we were doing in the run game, it made them have to show their hand,” Penix said. “They had to bring an extra guy in the box, and then that started open up things in the pass game.”
Penix finished 18 of 25 for 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception, good for a 101.4 passer rating. He said the offense finally found a better balance, but he wasn’t interested in pretending Thursday night was close to perfect.
“That game was far from perfect, and that's what we're striving for each and every day,” Penix said.
London had the same read on it. Atlanta, he said, put something real on tape - but not the finished product.
“Tonight was a great opportunity for us to go out and really play up to our standard, and I think we put some great stuff on film to show people what this team can be,” London said.
“There’s still another notch, another two notches that we can go as a team, and that's what we're soul searching for right now.”
The Falcons got the response they needed after an 0-2 start, and they did it with Penix steering the offense, Robinson pounding the run game, and London stretching the field. They also did it with All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts playing only a small role on Thursday and through the first three weeks of the season.
Now Atlanta heads to New Orleans for a Monday night matchup with the Saints, carrying a performance that showed what this offense can look like - and, by the sound of it, what it still believes it can become.
In Other News...
Falcons Fans Already Have A Coaching Debate They Didnt Expect
The first month of the season has already given Falcons fans something to chew on beyond the usual quarterback chatter: a coaching comparison they probably did not expect this soon. Atlanta brought in Kevin Stefanski to lead the way, and while the Falcons are 1-2, they did at least give themselves a timely lift with a primetime win over the Green Bay Packers. It is early, but the results are already inviting a conversation about how the new era in Atlanta is taking shape.
Elsewhere, Klint Kubiak has his new team rolling in Las Vegas, where the Raiders are 3-0 after a recent win over the New Orleans Saints. The parallel is hard for Atlanta fans to miss, since both hires were meant to steer their franchises in a new direction, and one of those directions is off to a much hotter start. For now, the Falcons can lean on the fact that Stefanski has already delivered a big-stage win, but the broader debate around the two coaching moves is only getting started. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Added To A Quarterback Debate Fans Will Enjoy
Around the league, Week 3 only sharpened the quarterback conversations that have already started to spill into the rest of the season, and the Falcons have to be paying close attention. Drake Mayes turnover issues have dragged the Patriots into frustration, while Deshaun Watson has looked much steadier as the Browns have picked up wins behind him. Jordan Loves early struggles have come with the usual mix of protection problems and accuracy concerns in Green Bay, leaving his outlook unsettled as the season settles in.
Kirk Cousins has been the steadier name in the group, guiding the Raiders offense with the kind of efficient play that keeps a team on schedule and a front office comfortable. For Atlanta, that kind of quarterback debate matters because it adds another layer to the league-wide picture of how quickly things can change at the position, and why every strong or shaky stretch gets noticed. The Falcons are still watching the broader discussion take shape, and the next few weeks should help clarify which of these passers is actually trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Enter Saints Showdown With Something They Have Been Missing
The Falcons head into Monday night with a little momentum and a much-needed sense of life after their 35-14 road win over the Green Bay Packers. Michael Penix Jr. was back at quarterback, and Atlanta got strong outings from Bijan Robinson and Drake London, a combination that gave the offense a cleaner, more balanced look than it had shown earlier in the season.
Now comes a division matchup with New Orleans, and both teams arrive at 1-2 needing a reset more than a spotlight. The Saints are coming off a 35-27 loss to the Raiders, even with Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson and Tyler Shough providing some offense, so this one feels like an early chance for Atlanta to build on its best performance and see whether the pieces that clicked last week can hold up in a bigger spot. [Read more 🡒]