GREEN BAY – The Packers' streak of 13 straight wins in home openers ended Thursday night with a 35-14 loss to the Falcons at Lambeau Field.
Atlanta scored 27 straight points at one stretch, turning an early 7-0 deficit into a 27-7 lead in the fourth quarter, dominating most of the action. Both teams finished Week 3 with 1-2 records.
QB Michael Penix Jr. returned from injury and it jump-started Atlanta's offense, which had struggled the first two weeks of the season with backup QBs. Atlanta rolled up 498 yards with 25 first downs and a 60% third-down efficiency (6-of-10). They also possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes.
RB Bijan Robinson rushed 29 times for 194 yards and two TDs, while WR Drake London caught nine passes for 194 yards. Penix finished 18-of-25 for 256 yards with one TD, one INT (on the first possession of the game) and a 101.4 passer rating.
After Green Bay got an early TD, which was WR Christian Watson's fourth of the season, the offense scuffled. Before finally scoring again late when the game was out of reach, the Packers blew two scoring chances by getting a field goal blocked and failing on fourth down in the red zone.
QB Jordan Love finished 28-of-53 for 312 yards with two TDs, one INT and a 75.4 passer rating.
WR Matthew Golden had five catches for 100 yards and a TD, and Watson posted seven catches for 96 yards and a score. The Packers rushed for just 17 yards.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Packers and Falcons tied at 7 after the first quarter
Green Bay won the opening coin toss and elected to defer. Atlanta gained the initial first down with a 15-yard screen pass to Bijan Robinson. On second-and-10, safety Xavier McKinney picked off Michael Penix over the middle.
Jager Burton started in place of Aaron Banks at left guard, as Green Bay took over at its 45.
The Packers opened in a two tight end look, gaining six yards on a first-down pass to Tucker Kraft. However, they were forced to punt it away after back-to-back incompletions. The Falcons took over at their 17 after a 41-yard Daniel Whelan punt.
Robinson gained 10 yards and a first down before Zaire Franklin and Brenton Cox Jr. stopped him for a 1-yard loss on second-and-10. Atlanta punted it away after an incomplete pass on third down.
On third-and-11 from the Green Bay 12, Matthew Golden made a great downfield adjustment to a Jordan Love deep ball for a 43-yard completion.
The Packers then worked out of a second-and-20 situation after a holding penalty with a 10-yard screen to MarShawn Lloyd. Harold Perkins was then flagged for unnecessary roughness for excessive force out of bounds.
Lloyd gained six yards on a draw from the Atlanta 28. After a timeout, Love threw a play-action pass to Kraft in the flat for a first down. After a 9-yard pass to Skyy Moore, Lloyd gained two yards to set up first-and-goal at the Atlanta 4.
Christian Watson came uncovered on a playaction pass for the touchdown, putting the Packers up 7-0 with 5 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
It's the first time since 2018 a Packers player had a TD catch in the first three games of a season (Davante Adams).
Atlanta started its next possession at its 15. An 8-yard pass to Kyle Pitts and 6-yard Robinson run got the Falcons a first down, but Lukas Van Ness forced Penix into an intentional grounding penalty to set up third-and-11.
However, Brenton Cox Jr. was flagged for unnecessary roughness gave Atlanta a first down. Robinson busted a 55-yard run on the next play to the Green Bay 5.
Robinson ran in a 3-yard touchdown two plays later to tie the game at 7 with 1:32 left in the first quarter.
The Packers went three-and-out at the end of the first quarter.
Falcons lead Packers 17-7 at halftime
Daniel Whelan boomed a 64-yard punt at the start of the second quarter and Atlanta started at its 17. The Falcons got moving with an 11-yard pass to Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson's 16-yard run down the sideline to the Green Bay 45.
Brandon Cisse and Van Ness combined to stop Bijan Robinson for no gain on second-and-10. Keisean Nixon pushed Drake London out of bounds after gaining four yards on third down and the Falcons elected to punt.
Green Bay's struggles on the ground continued and was once again forced to punt after going three-and-out. The Falcons took over at their 36 after Whelan's 52-yard punt was fair caught.
Atlanta moved the ball across midfield before Edgerrin Cooper dropped Bijan Robinson for a 3-yard loss on first-and-10 at the Green Bay 34. Olamide Zacceaus was tackled two yards short of the first down and Nick Folk made a 44-yard field goal to put Atlanta ahead 10-7 with 4:48 left in the second quarter.
The Packers opened with a deep ball for Matthew Golden, who picked up 34 yards off a defensive pass interference penalty after Mike Hughes tripped him at the Atlanta 33.
Kaleb Johnson gained five yards on an inside run, but Love couldn't connect with either Watson or Golden. Trey Smack's 47-yard field goal was then blocked, as Atlanta maintained its advantage with 3:42 left in the first half.
London caught a 20-yard pass and the first half reached the two-minute warning after a 6-yard pass to Austin Hooper on second-and-7. Atlanta ran a play-action pass on third-and-1, leading to a 16-yard pass to London.
Bijan Robinson gained 10 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Green Bay 8. Zaire Franklin tackled him for a loss of three on second-and-goal from the 2, but Hooper caught a 5-yard touchdown on third-and-goal to extend Atlanta's lead to 17-7 with 59 seconds left.
The Packers went three-and-out again after Kraft dropped a third-and-2 pass with 38 seconds left in the half. Whelan's punt traveled 48 yards before bouncing out of bounds at the Atlanta 11.
Falcons lead Packers 24-7 after three
Green Bay started with the ball at its 30. After a 7-yard pass to Jonnu Smith, Golden took a flare 12 yards to midfield. Watson came free for a 22-yard pickup on the next play.
On second-and-10, Skyy Moore caught a screen out of the backfield and surged ahead for 12 yards to the Atlanta 16. Falcons safety Jessie Bates was injured on the play.
Lloyd gained four yards on two carries before Watson was tackled a yard short of the first down. Green Bay tired a playaction pass on fourth-and-1, but Love's pass for Watson sailed high for the turnover on downs at the Atlanta 8.
Robinson gained six yards and then broke a 31-yard run to the Falcons' 45. An illegal contact penalty on Cisse moved the ball to midfield.
London caught a 16-yard pass off a slant on third-and-7 to move into the Packers' red zone. Brian Robinson scored a 7-yard touchdown on third-and-1 to push Atlanta's lead to 24-7 with 3:38 left in the third quarter.
Love's second-down pass to Kraft actually went behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in a 6-yard run for Kraft. On third-and-4, J. Michael Sturdivant caught an 8-yard slant for a first down at the Green Bay 35.
A 10-yard pass to Johnson moved the Packers to the Atlanta 47, but that's as far as Green Bay would get as Love's third-and-11 pass for Golden fell incomplete.
Packers fall to Falcons, 35-14
The fourth quarter began with Penix connecting with London for a 68-yard completion on third-and-2 from the Green Bay 16.
The Falcons' drive stalled after a holding penalty and Javon Bullard's 2-yard tackle for a loss of Brian Robinson on second down. Folk made a 31-yard field goal to push Atlanta's lead to 27-7 with 10:57 remaining.
Starting at the Green Bay 24, Love worked out of a third-and-10 situation with Watson's 34-yard catch-and-run to the Atlanta 42.
Sturdivant caught a 3-yard pass on third-and-10 and Moore converted the first down with a 9-yard slant to the Atlanta 29. An 11-yard out to Watson moved Green Bay into the red zone.
The Packers found the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Love to Golden on a slant to cut the Falcons' lead to 27-14 with 8:18 remaining.
Bijan Robinson bolted ahead for four yards on third-and-2. London caught a 40-yard pass to move the ball to the Packers' 13. Bijan Robinson scored a 2-yard run TD to go ahead 35-14 with 3:33 remaining after a successful two-point conversion.
Watson gained 15 yards on a third-and-1 slant to the Atlanta 44. Chris Brooks picked up four yards on a check down prior to the two-minute warning. Right guard Jacob Monk was injured on the play and Donovan Jennings replaced him.
Sturdivant caught a 10-yard slant on fourth-and-6 to continue the drive. Golden then gained 20 yards on third-and-10 to surpass 100 receiving yards. Love was then picked off by Xavier Watts.
