Green Bay’s home opener on Thursday night carries early-season urgency for two teams looking to reset their 2026 trajectory. The Packers escaped an 0-2 hole by rallying past the Jets in overtime, while Atlanta arrives at Lambeau Field at 0-2 after a 34-3 home defeat to the Panthers.
A Packers victory would put the franchise alone atop an NFL record. Green Bay is tied with the 1976-88 Dolphins at 13 consecutive wins in home openers, while the Falcons have lost four straight games at Lambeau.
Atlanta’s last win in Green Bay came in 2008, when current Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was still a rookie quarterback. Both clubs now face a short turnaround with major questions on offense, health and discipline.
Quick facts
- Green Bay can claim the NFL record with a 14th straight home-opening win.
- The Packers lead the league in both penalties and penalty yardage.
- Atlanta has scored an NFL-low 16 total points and has not reached the red zone through two games.
- Michael Penix Jr. is expected to make his first appearance since tearing his left ACL last November.
- Falcons wide receivers and tight ends have combined for 17 receptions, 173 yards and no touchdowns.
Packers seek a cleaner performance
Matt LaFleur’s team has reached the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, but its opening two games have been unusually ragged. Green Bay is last in the NFL in rushing yards, and Jordan Love has completed only 52.1% of his passes.
Among quarterbacks with at least 30 attempts, Love owns the league’s lowest completion percentage. Over the past decade, only Trevor Lawrence had a lower rate across his first two games of a season with at least 70 attempts, completing 50% as a rookie in 2021.
The Packers have been without edge rusher Micah Parsons, who remains on the PUP list, and running back Josh Jacobs, who is on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. But those absences do not account for Green Bay’s penalty problems.
The injury picture also worsened against the Jets. Starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele suffered a torn patellar tendon and will miss the remainder of the season, while wide receiver Jayden Reed left with a back injury.
Atlanta’s depleted defense may offer Green Bay an opportunity to settle down. Falcons top cornerback A.J. Terrell is sidelined by a groin injury, adding to a growing group of unavailable starting defenders.
The immediate benchmark for Love is straightforward: improve his accuracy and get beyond 60% completions. The Packers will need that type of efficiency to turn a dramatic Week 2 escape into a steadier offensive showing.
Penix returns for Atlanta
Penix is set to make his 2026 debut after receiving full clearance for practice roughly a month ago. The former No. 8 overall selection in the 2024 draft has not played since his ACL injury late last season.
Atlanta opened the year with veteran Cooper Rush under center, but the offense averaged just eight points per game and did not produce a single red-zone trip. Penix’s return gives the Falcons a chance to revive a unit that has lacked rhythm and explosive plays.
The quarterback enters a pivotal stretch in his career. Atlanta’s decision-makers must determine next spring whether to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Across his first two seasons, Penix went 4-8 as a starter, completed under 60% of his throws and averaged fewer than 200 passing yards per game. Thursday provides a chance to begin changing that evaluation.
Green Bay allowed 39 points to Minnesota one week earlier, though its pass rush remains a significant threat. The Packers own the NFL’s third-best pressure rate at 45.6%, making it important for Penix not to hold the football too long.
Falcons must involve their weapons
Atlanta has built an offense around high-end skill talent, including Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Yet the club’s receivers and tight ends have been the least productive such group in football through two weeks.
Pitts has one reception for 15 yards on four targets. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said this week that he must do a better job of featuring the tight end, who signed an offseason extension that placed him among the NFL’s highest-paid players at his position.
A change at quarterback could help, but Pitts has caught only two touchdown passes in the 12 starts made by Penix. The quarterback’s arm strength could restore the vertical element missing from Atlanta’s first two games.
The Falcons also have a favorable matchup near the goal line. Green Bay has allowed touchdowns on 85.7% of opponents’ red-zone trips, ranking 28th in the league, and Atlanta’s staff will need to find ways to convert that vulnerability into points.
