The Packers are coming off a nail-biting 20-17 overtime Week 2 win over the Jets that got them back to .500 after their Week 1 fourth-quarter blunder against the Minnesota Vikings (2-0).
Meanwhile, the Falcons (0-2) are looking to secure their first win of the season after taking a 34-3 beatdown in their home opener courtesy of the Carolina Panthers (1-1).
This marks the second time ever that at least one NFC team has appeared in each of the first three Thursday Night Football matchups since the primetime slot began in 2017. The previous was in 2023, also the same year the Packers hosted a Week 3 matchup. However, that resulted in a 34-20 loss to the Lions.
Will this be different? The Packers are currently tied with the Miami Dolphins (1976-1988) for the longest home-opener win streak (13) in NFL history. A win tonight will set a new record.
So, let's take a deep dive into the history and a full breakdown of both teams.
Packers-Falcons history
The two have only faced each other twice since the start of the 2020s. They last played each other in 2023 when the Falcons surmounted a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback to secure a 25-24 win.
Before that, the Packers floored the Falcons 30-16. They still own the all-time record (19-17), but this will be just the second matchup against Atlanta for Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. During that 2023 loss, Love posted 174 total yards, three passing touchdowns, and a 113.5 pass rating.
Can he pull it off again, but this time with a '2' in the win column heading into Week 4?
Packers breakdown
The Green Bay faithful are holding their breath after their overtime win against the Jets and a Week 1 loss that'll stick with them all season long. They were outgained by the Jets (285-199), held to 1-for-9 on third down, put up 14 penalties for 133 yards, and had a turnover.
That's not something you want to see for a team that clinched the Wild Card last year.
Their offense ranks near the middle of the pack in both yards (17th - 309.0) and points per game (18th - 21.0). Even worse, they're already suffering significant injuries.
During their Week 2 win, the Packers lost two starting offensive linemen in left guard Aaron Banks (toe) and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (torn right patellar tendon).
The team also lost starting wide receiver Jayden Reed after he was carted off the field with a neck/spine injury.
However, the team is still feeling the absence of starting running back Josh Jacobs.
MarShawn Lloyd is the Packers' current lead rusher with 57 yards through the first two weeks. For perspective, Falcons backup running back Brian Robinson Jr. has more this season (82) on just one more carry.
So it's no surprise that Green Bay are heading into this matchup dead last in the NFL in rushing with 64.5 yards per game.
They played by committee last week, with Kaleb Johnson receiving more carries (8) than Lloyd (6). So it's safe to assume they'll stick with whoever is rolling during this week as well.
And that's going to be even more challenging since, despite their record, the Falcons rank first in run defense (63.0 ypg) and are giving up a stellar 2.9 yards per carry...but so have the Packers' defense. Last year through the first two games, the Packers gave up just 2.3 YPC before finishing 18th in yards per game.
But their defense is the worry in this matchup. It's their offense.
Establishing a running game is almost always critical to open up the passing game. But with the No. 9 passing offense stacked up against the 23rd pass defense, the Packers are going to rely heavily on Love and the receiving core to get it done, especially with opposing cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. going on the IR
Wide receiver Christian Watson currently ranks ninth among all receivers with 188 yards and is tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns (3) so far this season.
Green Bay joins Carolina as the only two teams in the NFL heading into Week 3 with at least two receivers in the top 16 of receiving yards, the other for Green Bay being Matthew Golden. So with Reed sidelined, expect either or to go off, including tight end Tucker Kraft.
The Falcons have given up three total touchdowns to opposing tight ends so far, at least one back-to-back weeks now. After being shut down by the Jets, expect Kraft to possibly put up his first touchdown of the year.
I said last week that Dalton Kincaid was the spotlight guy for the Bills in their TNF matchup against the Lions, and he ended up leading their team with 95 yards and a touchdown on a team-high seven receptions.
Falcons breakdown
The biggest headline for the Falcons heading into this game is that Michael Penix Jr. was named the starting quarterback this week. Atlanta went 3-6 with Penix under center last season before he was sidelined with a partially torn ACL.
However, two of those losses came in overtime, three others were decided by 10 points or less, with the 30-0 loss to Carolina as the major outlier, in which two of his three interceptions from last season occurred.
In his final five games last season, Penix tossed for 1,064 yards, six touchdowns, a 93.3 passer rating, and a 58.3% completion percentage without a single interception.
However, it'll be the first time Penix has ever played at the iconic Lambeau Field.
All eyes will be on him since the Falcons are ranked dead last in passing offense at 123.5 yards per game and an abysmal 38.5 combined passer rating - that's worse than if they just spiked the ball into the ground every single play (39.6). All this while leading the league with five interceptions and being just one of four teams in NFL history without a single red zone drive in each of their first two games since it started being tracked in 1978.
In other words, the Falcons fans are waiting on a miracle. Going up against a Packers defense that ranks fifth overall and ninth against the pass may force them to wait another week, though.
The tiny silver lining with Penix going up against the Packers defense is that the same Packers defense gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter to the Vikings, who were led by backup quarterback Carson Wentz.
It's truly an any-given-Sunday moment.
The past two weeks showed everyone that relying on superstar running back Bijan Robinson won't be enough. When opposing defenses know the Falcons can't throw the ball, they'll zone in on him every single play.
Robinson still put up 93 total yards and one touchdown in Week 1, but was held to 81 total yards last week against Carolina. He leads the Falcons in both rushing (155) and receiving (99). His 254 combined yards are more than Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Kyle Pitts, and Austin Hooper combined (145).
Yes, it's that bad in Atlanta. They'll be looking to avoid a 0-3 start for the first time since 2020, when they finished 4-12, and the 12th time in franchise history, third this century.
Injury report
On the Falcons side, defensive end Samson Ebukam will be the only one out. Meanwhile, Billy Bowman Jr. (CB) is questionable despite being a full participant in practice all week.
For the Packers, as previously stated, Bako-Bewele, Banks, Brinson, and Reed are all out this week. Defensive linemen Anthony Campbell (ankle) and Javon Hargrave (knee/concussion) are both questionable after being limited participants in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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