Falcons vs. Packers prediction: Green Bays struggles continue on Thursday Night Football
The Week 3 NFL slate kicks off at Lambeau Field, where the Falcons face the Packers on “Thursday Night Football.”The Falcons find themselves in dire straits after starting the season 0-2 and being outscored by more points than any other team in the league.The Packers aren’t exactly on solid ground entering this game.They blew a 22-10 lead in Week 1 to the Vikings, then nearly lost to the Jets before making a late comeback to win in overtime.Sportsbooks opened this line at Packers -7.5, but that number is down to 5.5 ahead of kickoff in Titletown.The Falcons will start Michael Penix Jr.
this week after their backup quarterback options set the position back decades in consecutive weeks.The Falcons have thrown more pick-sixes than touchdown passes this season, and if Penix can’t be the answer, their season may spiral out of control quickly.The Falcons have some of the most dynamic skill players in the game, but with no one to reliably get them the ball, the offense has been muted, scoring just five times on 25 drives through two games. While terrible quarterback play seems to be the main issue for the Falcons, the Packers have bigger issues to solve on a short week.The Packers looked good for the first three quarters of the season, then things went off the rails.Even the win against the Jets didn’t warrant celebration as much as it offered a sense of relief that the team wouldn’t be 0-2 entering its home opener.Injuries will be a major factor in this game for the Packers, who are down their best offensive lineman, Zach Bako-Bewele, and receiver Jayden Reed.Their offense has struggled to generate anything on the ground without Josh Jacobs in the lineup, and they lead the NFL in penalties and yards.Jordan Love doesn’t seem to know whether he wants to be an elite quarterback or not, and with fewer options and less protection, I’m skeptical he will find his footing this week.Playing at Lambeau may give the Packers an advantage, but I don’t think they s...