The Daily Sports Page

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Michael Penix Jr. is set to start for the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, marking his first game since Nov. 16 after rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The 26-year-old’s return arrives with Atlanta winless (0-2) and an offense that failed to reach the red zone in its first two outings; through two games the Falcons were the first team since the 2008 Rams not to run any plays from inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

While Penix was recovering, Cooper Rush and Jack Strand combined to throw five interceptions and just one touchdown pass — a 23-yarder from Rush to Bijan Robinson in Week 1 — and Atlanta’s cumulative numbers tell the story of a unit that has struggled: last in the league in passing yards per game (123.5), 31st in scoring (8.0 points per game), 29th in total offense (262 yards) and dead last with a minus-6 turnover margin. Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith has provided a bright spot with 2½ sacks through two games for the Falcons.

The Packers (1-1) arrive with their own personnel problems. Two players — wide receiver Jayden Reed and offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele — were carted off during Green Bay’s 20-17 overtime win over the New York Jets; Bako-Bewele suffered a torn patellar tendon and is out for the season, while Reed’s status remains uncertain. The offensive line will also be without left guard Aaron Banks because of knee and toe issues. Additional roster notes in the report list All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons recovering from a torn ACL and running back Josh Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list; Green Bay has still managed a 1-1 start following its overtime victory.

Matchups and trends to watch: Atlanta will lean on Bijan Robinson against a Packers run defense that has yielded just 2.85 yards per carry, and Robinson has 155 yards on 37 carries through two games. Robinson also reached 4,000 career rushing yards (4,065) and 200 receptions (209) at 24 years, 233 days — the third-youngest player to hit both marks. Falcons receiver Drake London recently passed the 4,000-yard receiving mark (4,041) in 64 games, behind only Julio Jones and Andre Rison in franchise history to reach that milestone faster. Green Bay has its own bright spots — Christian Watson has three touchdown catches, Lukas Van Ness and Edgerrin Cooper have recorded sacks in each of the first two games, and Skyy Moore’s 208 return yards against the Jets was the Packers’ highest single-game return total since 2008.

Practical details: kickoff is Thursday at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime, with the Packers installed as 5½-point favorites. The teams last met in 2023 when Atlanta won 25-24; Green Bay leads the all-time series 19-17. Against the spread both teams are 0-2 so far this season.