By admin 
Michael Penix Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons made a statement in Week 3, with the quarterback playing his first game back from a torn ACL. Atlanta rolled to a 35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, picking up its first victory of the season to move to 1-2.
Penix settled in quickly, completing 13 of 20 passes for 114 yards before halftime, connecting with Drake London, who had a 194 receiving yards game, on five of those throws for 54 yards.
Bijan Robinson did the heavy lifting on the ground, racking up 111 rushing yards by the break and finishing with two touchdowns, while Jordan Love and the Packers had no answer, managing just 17 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Packers’ QB.
The win was a much-needed response for the Falcons after a slow start, but one sequence from the first quarter carried extra weight beyond the final score, the kind of play the league tends to review closely afterward.
Cox Flagged For Roughing The Passer
With 3:06 left in the first quarter, Penix took a deep shot down the left side to London that fell incomplete, but Brenton Cox Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer after late contact on Penix’s helmet.
Atlanta accepted the penalty, erasing the incompletion and picking up 15 yards with an automatic first down, and Robinson punched in a 3-yard touchdown about 90 seconds later to tie the game at 7.
Packers get flagged for roughing the passer for this helmet to helmet contact to Penix.
What could’ve been a stop on 3rd down turns into an automatic 1st down for the Falcons. pic.twitter.com/HJOvRtptCm
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) September 25, 2026
Under the NFL’s 2026 fine schedule, a first roughing the passer violation carries a $17,911 penalty, though the flag alone does not guarantee a fine since every hit gets reviewed after the game.
A second violation this season would raise that number to $23,882 for the Green Bay pass rusher. Staying upright remains the priority for Penix as he works his way back into form.
Atlanta returns to action Monday, October 5, on the road against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Read more Bijan Robinson, Drake London lead Falcons to dominant win over Packers
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This story was originally published September 24, 2026 at 8:37 PM.