Week 3: Penix Makes His Season Debut as 0-2 Falcons Visit Packers on Thursday Night
The Atlanta Falcons visit the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, September 24. Atlanta is 0-2 after a 34-3 home loss to Carolina in which it turned the ball over five times, and Michael Penix Jr. will start for the first time since ACL surgery last November; Cooper Rush threw four interceptions in two starts and Tua Tagovailoa remains out with an oblique strain. Green Bay is 1-1 after a 20-17 overtime win at the Jets in which it gained 199 yards and converted 1 of 9 third downs, a week after allowing 29 straight points in a 39-22 loss at Minnesota.
Penix on a short week
Twelve career starts, ten months since his last one, and three days of practice before Lambeau Field; Atlanta's offense has scored 16 points in two games.
Green Bay's offense has stalled
Jordan Love threw for 145 yards against the Jets and the Packers' third-down rate is the worst in the league through two weeks.
Turnover margin
Atlanta is minus-7 in two games; the Packers' defense produced two takeaways of its own in New York.
AI Prediction
Falcons 
Packers Atlanta's offense is the league's least productive
Sixteen points and seven turnovers in two games, and the fix is a quarterback making his first start in ten months on three days of preparation.
Green Bay's floor is higher at home
The Packers' offense was poor in New York, but the defense held the Jets to 17 and Lambeau on a Thursday night is a difficult debut spot.
The total is the risk, not the winner
Neither offense has functioned; the projection is built on Green Bay's defense creating short fields rather than on Love.
A High-confidence lean built on the gap between the two offenses. If Penix is sharp early, Atlanta's defense is good enough to keep it close.
Packers Leaders
Falcons Leaders
Team Stats
| Falcons | Stat | Packers |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0 | Points Per Game | 21.0 |
| 282.5 | Total Yards | 330.5 |
| 144.0 | Yards Passing | 266.0 |
| 138.5 | Yards Rushing | 64.5 |
| 27.0 | Points Allowed Per Game | 28.0 |
| 317.0 | Yards Allowed | 286.0 |
| 254.0 | Pass Yards Allowed | 199.0 |
| 63.0 | Rush Yards Allowed | 87.0 |
Venue
Closing Line
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Packers Injuries