GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Falcons Packers score told a story nobody saw coming: the Atlanta Falcons routed the Green Bay Packers 35–14 on Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field, announcing themselves as a very different team with Michael Penix Jr. back under center — and handing the Packers their first home-opener loss in more than a decade.
Both teams finished Week 3 at 1–2, but the records couldn’t feel more different. Atlanta looked like a team reborn. Green Bay looked like a team with serious questions. The Falcons Packers score — 35–14 — said it all.
Falcons Packers score: Penix returns, and everything changes
The biggest storyline of the night was wearing No. 9 for Atlanta. Michael Penix Jr. made his return from the torn ACL he suffered last November, having missed the Falcons’ first two games, and the difference was night and day. Atlanta had scored just 16 total points across those first two games with backup quarterbacks. With Penix, the Falcons dropped 35 on the Packers in Green Bay.
Penix completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception — the pick coming on the game’s opening possession — for a 101.4 passer rating. The numbers were efficient rather than gaudy, but the command was unmistakable: the offense had rhythm, the playbook was fully open, and the Falcons scored 27 straight points after falling behind 7–0.
After the game, the story was simple — Atlanta is a different football team with its franchise quarterback on the field, and the NFC South race may have just gotten a lot more interesting.
Bijan Robinson and Drake London run wild at Lambeau
If Penix provided the spark, Bijan Robinson and Drake London provided the fireworks. Robinson carried 29 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns — including a 55-yard burst — while adding two catches for 19 yards. London, meanwhile, caught nine passes for a career-high 194 yards, highlighted by a 68-yard gain that left the Lambeau crowd stunned.
Together, Robinson and London became the first pair of teammates to record at least 190 scrimmage yards apiece in a road game since 1976, when the Rams’ Lawrence McCutcheon and Ron Jessie did it against the Dolphins. That’s the kind of statistical company that puts a performance in historical context.
The team numbers were just as lopsided: Atlanta rolled up 498 total yards, piled up 242 rushing yards, held the ball for more than 37 minutes, and converted 6 of 10 third downs. Green Bay, by contrast, managed just 17 rushing yards all night — a stunning total for a team playing at home. The Falcons Packers score was, if anything, kind to the hosts.
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Falcons Packers score and what went wrong for Green Bay
The loss was historic for all the wrong reasons in Green Bay. The Packers lost their first home opener since the 2012 season, ending a 13-game home-opener winning streak that tied the Dolphins’ mark from 1976–88, according to Reuters.
Jordan Love finished 28 of 53 for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception — a 75.4 passer rating — but the box score flatters a performance spent playing from behind against a defense that knew exactly what was coming. With the ground game producing just 17 yards, Love had no balance to lean on, and the Falcons’ pass rush teed off.
There were bright spots for Green Bay. Christian Watson caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown — his fourth score of the season — while rookie Matthew Golden hauled in five catches for 100 yards, including the first touchdown of his NFL career. But the special-teams and situational failures told the story: Zach Harrison blocked Trey Smack’s 47-yard field goal attempt, and the Packers came up empty on a fourth-and-1 in the red zone, the kind of missed opportunity that kills you against a team rolling like Atlanta was.
NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk framed it as a complete performance by the visitors, and the Packers’ own in-game updates chronicled a night that slipped away early and never came back.
What the result means going forward
For Atlanta, the takeaway is obvious and enormous: with Penix healthy, this is a playoff-caliber roster. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, the skill talent is elite, and the defense did more than enough. If the Falcons can stack performances like this, the NFC South — and the NFC wild-card picture — runs through them.
For Green Bay, the questions are harder. A home loss this lopsided, with the run game nonexistent and the defense gashed for nearly 500 yards, will test the locker room. The Packers still have the talent to contend, but Thursday night was a reminder that in the NFL, momentum is fragile and Lambeau Field no longer intimidates anyone by itself. When the final Falcons Packers score flashed across the Lambeau scoreboard, an era of home-opener dominance ended with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Falcons Packers score?
The Atlanta Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers 35–14 on Thursday Night Football, September 24, 2026, at Lambeau Field. Both teams finished Week 3 with 1–2 records.
How did Michael Penix Jr. play in his return?
Penix, returning from a torn ACL suffered last November, completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 101.4 passer rating, after missing the first two games of the season.
What records did Bijan Robinson and Drake London set?
Robinson (194 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and London (9 catches, career-high 194 yards) became the first teammates with at least 190 scrimmage yards each in a road game since 1976.
When was Green Bay’s last home-opener loss before this game?
The Packers had not lost a home opener since the 2012 season; the defeat ended a 13-game home-opener winning streak that tied the Dolphins’ 1976–88 record.
