Robinson, Penix power Falcons to statement win as Packers’ discipline unravels

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Once the Atlanta Falcons finally reached the red zone, they kept coming back again and again.

Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons capitalized on the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and trounced the punchless Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday night, transforming the narrative of their season and exposing familiar flaws in Green Bay’s game management.

From red-zone drought to offensive outburst

Atlanta (1-2) erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 27 straight points to take control amid a chorus of boos at Lambeau Field. The Falcons outrushed the Packers 242 yards to 17, a stark turnaround for an offense that had not run a single play inside an opponent’s 20-yard line during the first two weeks of the season.

“That was the weight off the shoulders – just getting back to the red zone,” Robinson said. “And we knew we had to punch it in every opportunity we get when we get down there. That was the main focus – to get the ball down there and let’s put the ball in the end zone. When we scored, it was definitely something we enjoyed, and we kept on doing it.”

That shift matters beyond one night in Wisconsin. Red-zone efficiency is a critical differentiator in the NFL, where small margins often decide playoff berths. After opening the year without a single snap inside the 20, Atlanta’s ability to sustain drives and finish them against Green Bay provides tangible evidence that its offensive structure can function with its preferred personnel on the field.

Penix returns, stabilizes Falcons’ offense

Penix went 18 of 25 for 256 yards with one touchdown and an interception in his first action since tearing the ACL in his left knee during a loss to Carolina on Nov. 16.

“I’m proud of him,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “It’s not easy to rehab from injuries. That’s a tough thing to do, that he’s put himself through – the extra workouts in the weight room, the extra treatments in the training room, all those times that he’s out in the field and he’s running when no one’s watching.”

Atlanta had struggled to produce any offense whatsoever in two games with Cooper Rush at quarterback, becoming the first team since the 2008 Rams not to run any plays in the red zone through the first two weeks of a season. Penix’s return immediately altered the balance of the Falcons’ attack, forcing Green Bay to respect the pass and opening wider lanes for Robinson on the ground.

For an international audience less familiar with the structure of the league, that change is significant: in the NFL’s 17-game regular season, a slow start can quickly compromise a team’s chances of competing for postseason places. A road win in a historically difficult venue with a returning quarterback playing efficiently gives Atlanta a platform to re-enter that conversation.

Historic night for Robinson and London

That wasn’t a problem Thursday. Robinson and Drake London became the first teammates to each compile at least 190 yards from scrimmage in a road game since Lawrence McCutcheon and Ron Jessie did it for the Rams at Miami on Oct. 3, 1976.

London caught nine passes for a career-high 194 yards, stretching Green Bay’s injured secondary and repeatedly punishing single coverage.

“That means a lot,” Robinson said. “Me and Drake, that’s my real-life brother. I call him my blood brother. We do everything together.”

For Atlanta, the performance underlined a broader strategic point: this roster has been constructed around a young offensive core expected to carry the franchise for several seasons. A night in which both Robinson and London dominate on the road suggests that, if the Falcons can keep their skill players healthy and their quarterback situation settled, they have the talent base to challenge more consistently within the league’s competitive, salary-cap-driven framework.

Packers’ home opener streak snapped amid mounting penalties

Green Bay (1-2) lost a home opener for the first time since falling 30-22 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The Packers had won 13 straight home openers from 2013-25 to share the NFL record with the Miami Dolphins, who also won 13 in a row from 1976-88.

“We’ve got a couple extra days here, and everybody’s got to take a long, hard look at themselves,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve got to find solutions and just come back ready to work.”

The lack of discipline that hindered Green Bay in its first two games cropped up again Thursday. The Packers had committed an NFL-high 26 penalties through the first two weeks of the season, and the trend continued in a matchup that exposed both their composure and their depth.

Green Bay led 7-0 and had forced an apparent third-and-11 incompletion late in the first quarter when Brenton Cox Jr. was called for roughing the passer. On the next play, Robinson broke free for a 55-yard carry to set up his own 3-yard touchdown run, a two-snap sequence that swung early momentum and shifted the pressure squarely onto the home side.

Love’s heavy workload, limited run support

Green Bay’s Jordan Love went 28 of 53 for 312 yards with two touchdowns – one to Christian Watson and another to Matthew Golden – and an interception. MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson combined for 17 yards on eight carries, leaving the Packers one-dimensional for long stretches of the game.

Love was working behind an offensive line missing left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, who tore his patellar tendon Sunday and will miss the rest of the season. Banks was dealing with a toe injury.

Jager Burton, a rookie fifth-round pick from Kentucky, made his first career start at left guard, and 2025 second-round selection Anthony Belton started at right tackle. The reshuffled line struggled to generate a consistent run game or clean pockets against a Falcons front that grew more aggressive once it established a lead.

Within the NFL’s regulated framework for roster sizes and injury designations, such early-season losses in the trenches can reshape an entire campaign. Green Bay must now adapt protection schemes and rushing concepts around less experienced linemen just as the calendar moves deeper into the regular season.

Key moments tilt control to Atlanta

Atlanta dominated the rest of the first half and led 17-7 at the break, turning field position and key fourth-down decisions into scoreboard pressure.

• Nick Folk put Atlanta ahead by hitting a 44-yard field goal with 4:48 left in the second quarter.
• After Atlanta’s Zach Harrison blocked Trey Smack’s 47-yard field-goal attempt, Penix capped the ensuing drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Austin Hooper on third-and-goal with 59 seconds left in the half.
• Green Bay then wasted a red-zone opportunity on its first drive of the second half when Love couldn’t connect with Watson in the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the 7, a high-risk call that failed to cut into the deficit.

From there, Atlanta poured it on, leveraging the clock, field position and a bruising ground game to deny Green Bay a realistic path back. In a league that emphasizes both aggressive play-calling and situational discipline, the contrast between the teams’ execution in short-yardage and red-zone scenarios was decisive.

“It felt great to get a win. It felt great to come out of there healthy. Just blessed, just blessed,” Penix said.

Injuries and availability

Both teams managed their rosters under the NFL’s injury-reporting and game-day activation rules as the physical toll of the season started to show.

• Falcons: CB A.J. Terrell (groin) didn’t play after getting placed on injured reserve this week.
• Packers: LB Edgerrin Cooper was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. G Jacob Monk hurt his quadriceps late in the fourth quarter.

For Atlanta, winning convincingly on the road without a key starting cornerback adds weight to the result. For Green Bay, further concerns along the offensive line and at linebacker complicate preparations for upcoming games in a tightly scheduled season that offers limited recovery time between fixtures.

What comes next

The schedule now gives both teams a short period to absorb the result and recalibrate.

• Falcons: At New Orleans on Monday, Oct. 5.
• Packers: At Tampa Bay on Oct. 4.

Within the NFL’s centralized scheduling model, divisional and conference matchups later in the year often decide tiebreakers for postseason qualification. Atlanta’s ability to carry this offensive rhythm into a high-profile trip to New Orleans will help determine whether this performance marks a true inflection point in its campaign.

For Green Bay, a road test in Tampa Bay arrives with the team under pressure to curb penalties, protect Love behind a patched-up line and restore the physical identity that underpinned its long home-opener streak at Lambeau Field.