NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Michael Penix Jr. returns for Falcons, who face similarly desperate Packers

Near the end of the season, some teams are so injured that their lineups don't resemble anything from the beginning of the season.

For the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers , who face off on Thursday night, those injury problems set in as soon as the season started.

The Falcons are off to a 0-2 start. Their top two quarterbacks, Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa , missed both games. Cooper Rush did not play well when forced into action. Penix, who tore his ACL late last season, will return Thursday. But the Falcons are still missing other players like 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker .

Still, simply having Penix back will allow the Falcons to get a more realistic view of what their team will be this season. The offense was not functional for two weeks. Their team passer rating is a league-worst 38.2, which is hard to believe. The passer rating if a quarterback threw incomplete every down is 39.6. Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. are talented pass catchers who have been almost invisible this season in a wretched offense. Penix has a lot to prove after two uneven seasons. But compared to what the Falcons had at quarterback through two weeks, he'll be a massive upgrade.

The Packers have their own issues. They were so banged up on the offensive line last week, they had to consider playing tight end Tucker Kraft at tackle during the game. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele is done for the season with a knee injury. Guard Aaron Banks will miss Week 3, as will receiver Jayden Reed . Star pass rusher Micah Parsons won't make his season debut until October. The Packers' offense struggled last week against the Jets, with the running game being a non-factor ( Josh Jacobs is still on the commissioner's exempt list) and Jordan Love throwing for 145 yards. Everything was labored because the decimated offensive line couldn't block.

The Falcons finished last season strong and the Packers were a playoff team. They each had high hopes for this season, but are in scramble mode early on.

Both teams are pretty desperate. But the Packers probably need a win a little more. An 0-3 start would be awful for the Falcons, but they're still in the NFC South. It won't take a great record to be in the race. The Packers are 1-1, but the win wasn't too impressive, needing overtime to beat the Jets. A loss to a reeling Falcons team at home would not be good, especially in what should be a competitive NFC North. A loss would put either team in a bit of a hole early in the season, but the panic around the Packers would ramp up with a loss as a home favorite on Thursday night.

Golden was a 2025 first-round pick who finished last season well, and has had plenty of opportunity so far. Golden has played more than 84% of the snaps and has run 69 routes with a 26.1% target share, which are all promising marks. Those numbers might tick up just a bit with Reed out indefinitely with a neck injury. Golden has 10 catches for 153 yards, which is solid for two games, but it feels like there are some bigger games coming. Last week, the Falcons gave up 34 points to the Panthers , with Bryce Young throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Golden has a chance to make a big impact.

This game opened at Packers -7.5 in the summer, but was under a touchdown on the lookahead lines and is now down to Green Bay -4.5 due to a combination of Michael Penix Jr. being announced as Atlanta's starter, Green Bay's poor play and some Packers injuries (Reed, Bako-Bewele, Banks, etc.). The Falcons looked utterly pathetic on offense in two games with Cooper Rush at QB, so it's hard to believe Penix won't be a massive upgrade. The betting public is behind Green Bay — difficult to blame them — but I'd hold my nose and look at the under here instead. Green Bay's offense has struggled and I don't believe Penix is fully healthy and has had enough practice time to be able to exploit the Packers' D.

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub .

Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski

Maybe you don't remember subscribing to the Atlanta Falcons package, but they're showing in prime time for the next three weeks. Here are three fantasy themes to track as we scout the Falcons at Packers.

1. Can Michael Penix Jr. save the Atlanta offense? The Cooper Rush/Jack Strand ticket has been a nightmare for the Falcons (1 touchdown, 5 picks, 7 sacks, 38.2 rating) and it's sunk the fantasy values of Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Penix has been a mediocre quarterback for two years, but he's specifically clicked with London during his time in the NFL.

2. Who's the best option in the Green Bay backfield? MarShawn Lloyd has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry through two weeks and he lost a key fumble against the Jets. Kaleb Johnson is still largely an unknown, but at least he's managed four yards a pop over his eight attempts. More work could be coming here.

3. Is Tucker Kraft ready for a spike? Kraft had a credible 3-65-0 opener at Minnesota , but was held to 15 yards at New York despite running a route on 32 of 34 Green Bay dropbacks. A muted start was always possible for Kraft after suffering an ACL tear in the middle of 2025, but given how much he's already playing, it's fair to expect the production to start rising.

Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub .