Strand (coach's decision) is inactive as the emergency third quarterback for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports. Strand is the emergency third option behind Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa, while Andy Dalton (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch as he continues to learn the Falcons' offense. Strand will only enter Sunday's game against the 49ers if both Penix and Tagovailoa cannot continue due to injury, illness or ejection
While the Ravens won’t have quarterback Lamar Jackson for Sunday night’s game against the Falcons, they will have their top receiver. Zay Flowers is active for the Week 5 matchup after he was listed as questionable with a foot injury. Flowers was limited in practice all week. The Ravens will also have cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who was listed as questionable with hamstring and calf injuries. But guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) is inactive. Tyler Huntley will start at quarterback with Jackson sidelined. For the Falcons, offensive tackle Jake Matthews (groin), linebacker Divine Deablo (hamstring), and defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring) are all active after being listed as questionable. Jackson, Vorhees, outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, center Cam Jurgens, receiver Elijah Sarratt, and defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles are inactive for the Ravens. Defensive end Za’Darius Smith, linebacker Christian Harris, quarterback Cooper Rush, quarterback Jack Strand, offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa, defensive back Malcolm DeWalt IV, and defensive back Robert Longerbeam are inactive for Atlanta. Rush is the emergency third quarterback
The Saints will not have tight end Noah Fant for Monday Night Football. Fant is among the team’s inactives. He was questionable to play with an abdominal injury. Rookie Oscar Delp should see more snaps behind starter Juwan Johnson. The Saints’ other inactives are quarterback Zach Wilson, cornerback Decamerion Richardson (shoulder), edge rusher Anfernee Jennings (knee), defensive lineman Christen Miller (toe), linebacker Kaden Elliss (calf) and edge rusher Carl Granderson (ankle). Wilson is the emergency third quarterback. The Falcons will have linebacker Divine Deablo and edge rusher Samson Ebukam. Both were questionable with hamstring injuries. The Falcons’ inactives are quarterback Cooper Rush, quarterback Jack Strand, offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa, defensive lineman Jared Ivey, cornerback Robert Longerbeam and cornerback Malcolm DeWalt IV. Rush will serve as the emergency third quarterback
Michael Penix isn’t the only Falcon making his season debut tonight. Falcons cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. is active for Thursday Night Football. The team listed him as questionable with the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season in a Week 12 practice. The Falcons need Bowman this week with starting corner A.J. Terrell Jr. landing on injured reserve with a groin injury. The team’s other inactives are quarterback Cooper Rush, quarterback Jack Strand, defensive back Malcolm DeWalt IV, defensive back Robert Longerbeam, defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring) and offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa. The Packers’ inactives are wide receiver Jayden Reed (neck), offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (knee), offensive guard Aaron Banks (knee/toe), defensive tackle Warren Brinson (calf) and defensive tackle Anthony Campbell (ankle). Nose tackle Javon Hargrave (knee/concussion) is active after three limited practices and a questionable designation
The Week 3 NFL schedule begins with Packers vs. Falcons on Thursday Night Football, as Green Bay tries to build on its overtime win against the Jets. Atlanta has lost its first two games of the season, and Green Bay is a 4.5-point home favorite in the Week 3 NFL odds. The Over/Under for total points scored is 43, down 3.5 from the opening line. Claim the Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55 here now and get a $55 bonus after $25 in trades : Kickoff for Packers vs. Falcons is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. SportsLine's team of NFL experts have analyzed TNF and revealed their Packers vs. Falcons prediction, and you can also read our NFL betting preview for Thursday Night Football. Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $50 bonus after $10 in trades : Green Bay avoided a 0-2 start when it erased a 10-point deficit and ultimately beat the Jets in overtime. The Packers went just 1 of 9 on third down and finished with 199 total yards, but they came up with some key plays down the stretch. They suffered a 39-22 loss at Minnesota in Week 1, so this will be their first home game of the campaign. Atlanta has struggled early in the year, falling to Pittsburgh in Week 1 before getting blown out by the Panthers in a 34-3 final in Week 2. Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush was benched after throwing two interceptions, but backup Jack Strand completed just 8 of 15 passes for 59 yards and an interception. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is returning on Thursday from a torn ACL that he suffered last November. Green Bay is a 4.5-point home favorite in the Packers vs. Falcons odds, while the over/under is 43. Claim $150 in bonus bets after your first $5 wager at DraftKings here : "Kyle Pitts has been completely wiped off the scoreboard for the first two weeks of the season but that can largely be attributed to Cooper Rush who has been a complete disaster at QB, ranking dead last in EPA at QB through two weeks," SportsLine expert Alex Selesnick said. "Michael Penix has been announced as the starter and even at his absolute worst, was significantly more effective than Rush. The Falcons have a condensed target distribution and we're getting a sizable discount here on Pitts receiving line." Bet on Packers vs. Falcons at bet365 with bonus code CBSBET365 and get $200 in bonus bets after betting $10 : "Over the first two weeks of the season Christian Watson has 19 targets, a nearly 30% target share and a 33% air yard share," SportsLine expert Sia Nejad said. "With Jayden Reed out those numbers may climb even more. The Packers Offensive Line is a big problem thanks to a number of injuries, but the Falcons have some defensive injuries as well to balance things out (most notably to AJ Terrell and Samson Ebukam who I don't think will play on a short week). Look for the Packers to move the ball through the air (with Watson, Golden and Kraft) due to their non-existent run game and a preference to attack the Falcons secondary rather than their Front 7." Use the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get bonus bets when wagering on Thursday Night Football :
Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is slated to make his season debut for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. While he represents an upgrade at quarterback, fantasy expectations should be managed due to his previous season's stats and Green Bay's strong pass defense. Penix is currently ranked low for Week 3 and may be a risky play in DFS
Tua Tagovailoa won’t be starting for the Falcons on Thursday night, but he could suit up for the first time this season. The Falcons listed Tagovailoa as a full participant in practice on Tuesday for the first time since he suffered an oblique injury during a practice ahead of Week 1. The Falcons already announced that Michael Penix will make his 2026 debut as their starter against the Packers this week and Tagovailoa could be their backup ahead of Cooper Rush and Jack Strand. Rush started the first two games and Strand replaced him in the second half of Atlanta’s Week 2 loss to the Panthers. Defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring) was the only player listed as out of practice Tuesday. The Falcons also put cornerback A.J. Terrell (groin) on injured reserve earlier in the day. Cornerback Billy Bowman (Achilles), tight end Nick Muse (shoulder), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (rib), defensive end Brandon Dorlus (thumb), running back Brian Robinson (ankle), and defensive lineman LaCale London (hip) were listed as full participants
The Atlanta Falcons aren't exactly off to the best start for the 2026 regular season. It's certainly not the best sign when your fans are chanting for the fourth-string quarterback to come in, which is what was happening in their Week 2 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers . When teams are struggling as much as the Falcons are, tension rises, and tempers can be more touchy than usual. That's what happened when Falcons wide receiver Drake London got into a verbal confrontation from the sidelines with someone in the home stands on Sunday. It looked like London was yelling profanities to someone in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd, as his teammate, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus , held him back. After the game, London said the fan said "personal stuff" to him, and he felt disrespected. The receiver added that he knows reacting is "not the right thing to do." "I'm going to be honest here, I don't take light to disrespect at all," London said. "I don't care who you are. I'm a man, too, at the end of the day. So, if you want to get on a personal level, I can get there, too, but it's not the right thing to do. So, I got to take accountability for that, and I got to push forward and be the bigger man in some of those situations. "But with how the game was going and what was said to me, I don't like it," London said. When asked if it was a fan, London said, "It was somebody." London finished the game with four receptions for 51 yards, the most receiving yards by far for the Falcons in Week 2. Again, not the best offensive showing. With Michael Penix Jr . still sidelined as he recovers from an ACL injury and Tua Tagovailoa dealing with an oblique injury, it was once again veteran Cooper Rush at the helm. He went 10-of-17 for 86 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble. He was eventually benched for undrafted rookie Jack Strand , who didn't fare much better with a pick of his own. "I think we as playmakers, us in the backfield, us on the outside, on the wing, we got to go out there and make plays regardless," London said. "We're all in the league for a reason, right? We're all good football players. I don't care if you're fourth string or you're the starter." This offseason, London signed a four-year, $141 million contract extension with the Falcons, keeping him there through the 2030 season. Up next for the Falcons are three primetime games. First up are the Green Bay Packers , followed by the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens
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