Falcons Bulldoze Packers 35-14 as Robinson Runs Wild in Penix Return
The Atlanta Falcons walked into Lambeau Field and ran straight through the Green Bay Packers, 35-14 on Thursday night in Week 3.
Both teams left at 1-2. Only one looked like it had answers. Atlanta owned the line of scrimmage from the start and never gave it back, according to The Guardian.
Bijan Robinson was the engine. He rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns, slicing through arm tackles and finishing runs in the open field. Atlanta outrushed Green Bay 242 yards to 17, a gap that told the story better than the scoreboard.
He had help. Drake London caught nine passes for 194 yards, winning downfield and after the catch. Robinson and London became the first teammates to each post at least 150 yards from scrimmage against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The night also belonged to Michael Penix Jr. The second-year quarterback completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his return. It was his first game since tearing the ACL in his left knee in a loss to Carolina on 16 November. Cooper Rush had started the first two weeks while Penix finished his recovery.
Atlanta led 17-7 at halftime. Penix found tight end Austin Hooper for a five-yard touchdown with 59 seconds left in the half to stretch the lead. Atlanta had led 10-7 with 4:48 left in the second quarter, when Robinson already had 122 yards of offense.
Green Bay never found balance. Jordan Love completed 28 of 53 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, doing most of his damage while chasing the game. Safety Xavier McKinney intercepted Penix for one of the few stops Atlanta did not solve.
The context makes the rout more surprising. Atlanta had not run a single play in the red zone — the 20 yards closest to the end zone — through the first two weeks, the first team since the 2008 Rams to open that cold. Green Bay entered with an NFL-high 26 penalties through two weeks and could not clean up the mistakes at home.
The loss ended a long Lambeau tradition. Green Bay lost a home opener for the first time since a 30-22 defeat to San Francisco in 2012. The Packers had won 13 straight home openers from 2013-25, sharing the NFL record with Miami's 13 straight from 1976-88.
Green Bay also lost starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele to a torn patellar tendon. He will miss the rest of the season.
What makes this stand out is how complete Atlanta looked after two quiet weeks. The run game created easy throws. The easy throws kept the chains moving. For a team getting its quarterback back, that is the softest landing you can draw up.
