Now that the NFL schedule has been released, the Atlanta Falcons are facing an absolute gauntlet to kick off the 2026 season. They begin the year on the road in Pittsburgh, but Kevin Stefanski's toughest test of the season is a Week 3 road clash against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Now only have the Falcons not won at Lambeau Field since September of 2017 (during Matt Ryan's MVP season mind you), this will be a primetime affair. Stefanski's first real test in Atlanta will be on Thursday Night Football in a notoriously tough place to play against a Packers team that's no slouch.
So entering this one, the Falcons are gonna need all the help they can get. Thankfully, they got the luck of the draw weather-wise, since this game is in September rather than late November or December, but they could also be at an advantage in Week 3 due to some major Packers' injury news.
The Atlanta Falcons could face a Micah Parsons-less Packers team in Week 3
After tearing his ACL in December, it seems like it'll be an uphill battle for superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons to take the field for Green Bay in Week 3. He was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before his injury last season, and his absence would make life easier for the Dirty Birds.
The rehab process for a torn ACL typically takes 6-9 months, so even the long end of that timeline put him right in line to return by the start of the season. But reconstructive knee injuries are a slippery slope, and rushing the Penn State product back onto the field too soon will do more harm than good.
Adam Schefter reported that the three-time All-Pro is a candidate to be placed on the PUP list to start the season. And if Parsons is placed on PUP to start the season, he would miss the first four games of the 2026 season, meaning he especially wouldn't be available in Week 3.
The Packers traded Rashan Gary and lost Kingsley Enagbare this offseason, so their pass rush lacks juice without Parsons, since he's the type of player whose presence elevates an entire defense. That's why their defense improved from one of the league's worst to one of the NFL's best in 2025.
The 26-year-old is undoubtedly the most important player on the Packers. He's without a shadow of a doubt more important to their success than Jordan Love, or Josh Jacobs, and for a Falcons' offensive line with plenty of question marks at tackle, it'll make pulling off an upset more feasible.
His availability was far from guaranteed, and if Stefanski wants any chance to beat the Packers for the second straight year, the five-time Pro Bowler not being out there could be just what the doctor ordered to ignite this Atlanta offense to their first statement victory under this new regime.
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