We’ve barely begun the season, yet the Falcons are already reeling following back to back weeks with Cooper Rush as the starter. The latest, a 34-3 home opener humiliation at the hands of the division rival Panthers, prompted a rain of boos from a frustrated fanbase.
Next for the Falcons is the start of three consecutive prime time matchups, starting with a trip to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers, who have gotten off to a disappointing start in their own right. The good news for the Falcons is that Michael Penix Jr. has been announced as the starter for that game, as he will make his highly anticipated season debut.
Advertisement
It’s a short week, and the Birds have no time to lick their wounds after the mauling they just took at the hands of the Panthers. The entire country will have a chance to watch Atlanta, who kick off Week 3 on Thursday Night Football.
Here is the scenario the Falcons face if they beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, as well as if they lose.
It will be a much needed bounce back and will work to regain the confidence of what looks to be a broken fanbase. Not that anybody at Flowery Branch seems to or should care about media narratives, but it will give them some positive PR after weeks of getting crushed by the media.
Advertisement
The team would finally have some liftoff, and could in theory find themselves tied for the division lead if all other scores around the NFC South work in their favor (however, they will remain at best in third place due to early season tiebreakers).
This would be a big blow dealt to the Packers, who would fall to 1-2 in a season of expectations. Atlanta would pull very close to .500 in their all time history against Green Bay, as the mark would be 18-19. They would also get a massive confidence boost going into the Monday night grudge match against the New Orleans Saints next week.
This train will begin derailing not too far from the starting station, as the Birds will fall to 0-3 with the hard part of their schedule still lingering in the near future. The vibes around the fanbase will continue to sink as next week’s Monday Night Football game against the Saints will really turn into a must win. In truth, even if they win that one it may not make much of a difference long term after an 0-3 start.
Advertisement
As for the early division race, Atlanta could find themselves a quick 2.0 games behind both Carolina and New Orleans (who will both likely be favored in their matchups this weekend). Tampa will also be ahead of Atlanta even if they also lose and fall to 0-3, due to the divisional record tiebreaker, keeping the Falcons in the cellar of the NFC South for yet another week.
It’s a lot earlier than expected but we will likely need to begin tracking draft standings in this article series as early as next week.
