Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers 35-14 at Lambeau Field, with Michael Penix Jr making a productive return from a left anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Atlanta responded decisively after Christian Watson’s touchdown gave Green Bay a 7-0 lead. The Falcons scored 27 unanswered points, produced 498 offensive yards and moved both sides to 1-2 for the season.
Penix completed 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first game since suffering the knee injury in November. His five-yard scoring pass to Austin Hooper late in the first half helped Atlanta establish a 17-7 interval lead.
The result represented a marked change for an Atlanta attack that had scored only 16 points in its opening two games. ESPN reported that the Falcons had also gone 27 consecutive series without a red-zone snap. Sky Sports and the Guardian said Robinson’s 55-yard run in the first quarter put them inside Green Bay’s 20-yard line.
Robinson and London drive Atlanta’s response
Robinson carried 29 times, adding two touchdowns to his 194 yards on the ground as Atlanta accumulated 242 rushing yards. His 55-yard run followed a roughing-the-passer penalty on Green Bay’s Brenton Cox Jr and set up Robinson’s three-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons ahead.
Drake London was equally influential through the air, making nine catches for 194 yards. Sky Sports and the Guardian reported that Robinson and London became the first team-mates to record at least 150 yards from scrimmage against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Atlanta continued to take control after the break. Brian Robinson Jr completed a 10-play, 92-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, while Nick Folk made field goals from 44 and 31 yards. Bijan Robinson’s two-yard score completed the Falcons’ scoring after Green Bay had reduced the deficit through Matthew Golden’s 15-yard touchdown reception.
Penix had thrown an interception on Atlanta’s opening series, but ESPN reported that he completed 13 of 15 passes across the second and third quarters, including all five of his third-down attempts in that span. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said he was pleased for Penix after the work required to return from injury, while Penix said the performance was not perfect and that the team would review where it could improve.
Packers’ rushing and protection problems exposed
Green Bay finished with only 17 rushing yards from nine attempts, compared with Atlanta’s 242. MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson combined for 17 yards on eight carries, with Jordan Love accounting for the other carry.
Love completed 28 of 53 passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but Atlanta were credited with 12 quarterback hits despite registering only one sack. Green Bay’s opening drive of the second half illustrated the difficulty: trailing 17-7, the Packers reached the Falcons’ seven-yard line but failed on fourth-and-one when Love could not connect with Watson in the end zone.
The Packers were without running back Josh Jacobs, while left guard Aaron Banks was absent with a toe injury. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele had sustained a season-ending knee injury in the previous game, according to ESPN and Sky Sports. Rookie Jager Burton started at left guard, with Anthony Belton at right tackle.
Home supporters booed during the defeat. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said afterwards that he did not know what his side were doing well offensively and that the performance had been a comprehensive beating. The scale of Atlanta’s control, particularly on the ground, gives the Falcons a tangible offensive benchmark after their difficult opening two weeks; for Green Bay, the depleted line and limited rushing output remain immediate concerns before their trip to Tampa Bay.