The Atlanta Falcons head into their third game of the season with a desperate need to right the ship in a season that’s already quickly going off the rails after 2a 0-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a brutal 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers in the home opener.
Now, they hit the road to face a 1-1 Green Bay Packers team coming off a 20-17 overtime win over the New York Jets, after a 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener. This Thursday Night Football contest against the Falcons marks Green Bay’s first home game of the season, so they’ll have that advantage in primetime.
Here’s a look at three storylines to watch as the Falcons look to get their first victory of the season.
1. Is The Quarterback Situation Actually Solved Now?
We all expected the battle for starting quarterback to come down to Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. But between the injury issues that marred both signal-callers to the point they were unable to go for the start of the regular season, that competition came down to veteran quarterback Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
Well, until now.
The Falcons have since announced that Penix will start against Green Bay, with Tagovailoa as the backup. While this looks like good news for the Falcons, it’s worth remembering that Strand was the most impressive player in the QB room throughout the preseason, and the body of work as of late combined between Penix and Tagovailoa, it will be curious to see how much of a solution having the pair back will actually be.
Ahead of the season, Tagovailoa didn’t look like the surefire passer we once thought would be the best fit for the offense. And, don’t get amnesia about Penix’s past shortcomings either, which saw him benched at certain points.
How Penix performs in TNF will set the tone for the rest of Atlanta’s season.
2. Bijan Robinson Vs. Packers Run Defense
Yeah, the Falcons have put on a beyond poor performance through the first two games of the season. But while it may be hard to see them through the dark cloud that hovers over the team, there have been some bright spots.
One of those bright spots is running back Bijan Robinson, who will face a Green Bay run defense ranked eighth in the league, giving up 174 rushing yards to opponents so far this season. Overall, the Packers have done a solid job quelling the run game, allowing an average of just 2.85 yards per carry.
But they face a new test that could change that number in Robinson, who is responsible for more than half of the Falcons’ yards from scrimmage so far. He’s been a factor not only as a traditional running back, but in the receiving and blocking game. The Texas product has carried the ball 37 times for 155 yards over two games, catching 11 passes on 14 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Who ultimately comes out on the right side of that battle will be a big thing to watch.
3. How Deeply Will The Loss Of Star Cornerback AJ Terrell Impact The Falcons?
The Falcons will face quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers without their top cornerback. Atlanta already has plenty of problems to fix, and losing Terrell is just an insult to injury at this point. He’ll miss at least four games after sustaining a groin injury in Week 2, leaving the Falcons scrambling to fill a major gap in the secondary.
That’s a major concern for an Atlanta defense that has already given up about 54 points in just two games.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out when the Falcons kick off against the Packers at 8:15 p.m. in Wisconsin.
Falcons vs. Packers: 3 Major Storylines As Michael Penix Jr. Makes Crucial Return