GREEN BAY, Wis. — For 13 straight seasons, the Green Bay Packers have won their home opener at historic Lambeau Field. On Thursday Night Football, against a rejuvenated Atlanta Falcons team, that streak came to an end.
The Falcons defeated the Packers to earn their first win and breathe life and excitement back into a fan base that was downtrodden following an 0-2 start.
Michael Penix Jr. returned to the field for the first time since undergoing season-ending ACL surgery in November of last year. After a start that involved knocking some rust off, Penix got the offense moving downfield, with the threat of the pass game opening things up for Bijan Robinson.
Robinson, for his part, had a career day. He finished with 213 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. It was another prime-time performance for the record books, and we’ll talk more about said performance later in this very breakdown.
As for now, though? The Falcons (and their fans) needed this win, needed this boost of optimism. It came on prime-time television Thursday night.
Why it’s important: The Falcons started the season 0-2, and after a significant loss to the Carolina Panthers just four days ago on Sunday, Thursday night stood as a chance for the Falcons to prove they were more than what they had put on tape to that point in Week 3.
With the whole nation watching on prime time, the Falcons — particularly the offense — showed a night-and-day performance.
Key takeaway: The Falcons found their groove on offense, and then some.
Penix may have been back in the lineup for the first time this season, but it was the Falcons’ ground game—led by Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr.—that was the true engine behind Atlanta’s offensive success. The pair looked energized under the prime-time lights and had a lot of running room thanks to the movement created by the offensive line.
Bijan Robinson had runs of 55 and 31 yards on Thursday night, while Brian Robinson had a 16-yard run and a 7-yard touchdown run. The Falcons finished with 242 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground against the Packers.
The steady drumbeat of Atlanta’s run game allowed the passing attack to open up a bit more for Penix. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees mixed in a variety of screen passes to keep his quarterback in a rhythm as well. Penix looked progressively comfortable and sharp in the game. After completing just one of his first five passes and tossing an interception, Penix went 17-of-20 for 239 yards and a touchdown.
This was a true breakout game for the Falcons, offensively. Penalties and turnovers were an issue in the first two weeks, but Thursday night’s effort, which amounted to 498 yards and 35 points, showed what this group is capable of.
Key moment: With just under five minutes to go in the first half, the Packers started a drive that could have kept the game well within reach going into halftime had they put up points at the end of it. Green Bay won the toss at the beginning of the game and deferred to the second half. So, with Atlanta only up 10-7 at that point, a momentum swing could have taken place that included a long drive by the Packers at the end of the half and then getting the ball to start the second half.
That, however, is not how the moment went.
Instead, the Falcons defense forced the Packers into a 44-yard field goal attempt. When the ball was snapped, Zach Harrison burst through the protection. He got a big hand on the kick and blocked it, giving the offense the ball back with plenty of time on the clock and all three timeouts.
What transpired thereafter was arguably the most complete drive the Falcons had put together through three games.
It involved a laser of a throw from Penix to London over the middle for a 20-yard explosive to get the drive going. Penix hit London down the sideline for a gain of 16 just a couple plays later, while Robinson did the rest to get the Falcons in scoring position.
A nice play call by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on third-and-goal from the 5-yard line earned the Falcons seven more points and pushed the score to 17-7 to go into halftime. The design of the play had Drake London and Kyle Pitts both out wide to the right. Robinson motioned that way, completely drawing the defense to the right. When the ball was snapped, however, Penix turned left and found a nearly wide-open Austin Hooper for the score.
