The Green Bay Packers (1-1) will attempt to win their second game in five days when Matt LaFleur's team hosts the Atlanta Falcons (0-2) for the home opener at Lambeau Field on "Thursday Night Football" to open Week 3 of the NFL season. This is the first of nine home games for the Packers during the regular season. Can the Packers kick off the home schedule with a primetime win in Michael Penix Jr.'s return to the field for the Falcons?
Five things to watch and a prediction for Week 3:
1. Rebuilt offensive line
Everything starts with the offensive line, which won't have starters Zach Bako-Bewele (knee, out for season) and Aaron Banks (toe, ruled out) against the Falcons. Without Bako-Bewele and Banks, expect Anthony Belton to start at right tackle, while either Donovan
Jennings or rookie Jager Burton will start at left guard. Atlanta doesn't blitz a ton, but Jeff Ulbrich's defense is generating pressure on 41.7 percent of opponent dropbacks, ranking seventh overall. This will be a challenge for the offensive line, which hasn't blocked well enough in the run or pass game. Can returning home help settle the offensive front? The Packers will be inconsistent on offense until the line settles.
2. Bottling up Bijan
Only four players have more total touches than Bijan Robinson through two games. The Falcons had to funnel their whole offense through Bijan while starting backup quarterbacks during the first two weeks, so don't expect Atlanta to be quite as one-dimensional on Thursday night. But containing Robinson, the offense's heart and soul, is still the biggest key for the Packers defense. Put the game in Michael Penix Jr.'s hands in his first start back from a knee injury. The Packers are allowing only 2.9 yards per rush and have a team run stuff rate of over 20 percent. Robinson is also a dangerous pass-catcher (79 catches a year ago), so the Packers have to know where No. 7 is on every snap.
3. Who starts fast?
Starting fast is always important, but it's especially important on Thursday nights. The Packers will be coming off a road overtime game and have some injuries along the offensive and defensive lines. The Falcons just lost 34-3 and are traveling away from home on a short week. Both teams will want to build some confidence early on Thursday night after shaky starts to the 2026 season. The Packers need to play with energy and urgency to start the home opener. The Falcons could be a desperate team coming off last week's loss, and they'll get a spark with the return of their quarterback.
4. The return of Z
Former Packer edge rusher Za'Darius Smith is returning to Green Bay as the top pass-rusher for the Falcons. He leads the team with 2.5 sacks and eight pressures across only 34 pass-rushing snaps. Smith might be 34 years old, but he still looks slippery and dangerous as a rusher. Also, former Bear defensive lineman Gervon Dexter has been excellent from the interior, producing eight pressures. For an offensive line needing to find its footing, the Packers must keep Smith and Dexter out of the backfield on Thursday night.
5. Encore for Skyy Moore?
This might be a Packers team that needs to win with defense and special teams early on in the 2026 season. And considering the struggles of the Falcons offense to start the year, it's possible Thursday night will feature plenty of punts. Does Skyy Moore have an encore? He is looking like a field-flipping weapon to start 2026. Until the offense stabilizes, it's possible the Packers will need a couple of short fields to score enough to win. Takeaways are one way to create a short field, but a long kick or punt return is suddenly a possible avenue for the Packers special teams.
Prediction: Packers 20, Falcons 16 (2-0)
On a scale of 1-10, my confidence level in a Packers victory is not high, maybe a 5 or 6. If the Falcons had any kind of pulse, this would feel like a true toss up game given the state of the offensive line, and how so much of what has ailed the Packers is centered on the offensive line's play through two weeks. That said, if there's a more troubled offensive team entering Week 3, it's the Falcons, who are returning their quarterback but still have massive problems. Overall, the Packers defense has been a real strength, so even if Green Bay's offense struggles to sustain drives once again, I think a takeaway or two will probably swing the game in the right direction. Winning ugly might just be the way forward until the rebuilt offensive line settles in. Defense. Special teams. Don't mess it up on offense. That should be the plan for Thursday night.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Falcons: 5 things to watch and a prediction for Week 3
