The Green Bay Packers seek to reclaim home-field dominance against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Green Bay Packers home opener is here, and it's a primetime showdown as part of Thursday Night Football.
Coming off a wild come-from-behind overtime victory over the New York Jets in Week 2, head coach Matt LaFleur knows he has quite a few injuries to navigate in this one.
The Atlanta Falcons come to Lambeau Field with a 0-2 record, and to say they haven't looked great in the first two weeks would be an understatement.
That said, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is ready to return, and that could be exactly the spark this Falcons team needs to go out and get their first win.
Packers defense keeps Penix Jr. in check
Green Bay's defense may not have done their best against Minnesota Vikings backup QB Carson Wentz in Week 1, but there was a drastic difference when they were able to take on Geno Smith last Sunday.
Smith finished 27/41 for 247 yards with a touchdown, but he was sacked four times, which resulted in a loss of 29 yards.
Penix Jr. isn't the most mobile quarterback in the league, and it'll be even more interesting to see how he looks after such a lengthy layoff and major injury.
Matthew Golden's emergence continues
With Jayden Reed out not just this week, but potentially for the entire season, this prediction comes as no surprise.
Star tight end Tucker Kraft has been relatively quiet since his comeback, but the team easing him back into action is the best-case scenario.
Christian Watson has been the clear RB1, but Golden held his own last week as he led the team with 58 receiving yards and was tied with Watson's four receptions.
QB Jordan Love needs Golden to step up now more than ever, and he's looked terrific in basically every game since his breakout against the Chicago Bears in the playoffs.
Green Bay finally gets a decisive win
No team in football has had more fourth-quarter meltdowns than the Packers. Time and time again, they seem to be in prime position to walk out of a game with a win, only for everything possible to go wrong in the final 15 minutes.
Here in Week 3, this Packers team isn't going to let that happen. They barely defeated the Jets a few days ago, but this is the perfect time for them to win back the fans at Lambeau and improve to 2-1 with a double-digit point victory, something they haven't had since November 23, 2025.
