The Thursday Night Football clash between the Packers and Falcons saw the officials make interesting decisions in favor of Atlanta in the first quarter, leading to an outcry from fans
Jordan Love was hit hard on third down but the officials decided not to penalize the Falcons
Jordan Love was hit hard on third down but the officials decided not to penalize the Falcons
View 2 Images
NFL fans flocked to social media to moan about the officiating as two similar scenarios were called very differently - leading to very different consequences.
The Green Bay Packers welcomed the Atlanta Falcons to Lambeau Field to kick off Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Just as it didn't take long for Al Michaels to receive criticism over his calls in the booth, the officiating crew was lambasted for their decisions early in the Thursday Night Football showdown.
The first controversial call came on what became the Falcons' scoring drive. After Michael Penix Jr. was deemed to have grounded the ball, the Falcons faced third-and-11, and the quarterback went deep toward Drake London, only for the ball to fall incomplete. But Atlanta received a reprieve in the form of on-field laundry.
A flag was tossed in the backfield as the referees deemed Brenton Cox Jr. had committed a roughing the passer foul on Penix, to the disbelief of many watching on. Cox was deemed to have hit Penix high, allowing the Falcons to continue their drive. Bijan Robinson then broke off for a 55-yard touchdown, and, after going 27 straight drives to start the season without taking a snap in the red zone, the running back burst into the endzone to score.
On the ensuing drive, with the Packers facing third-and-13, Jordan Love appeared to get hit high and hard as he found tight end Tucker Kraft for a 9-yard gain. As the special teams came out to punt, Love fumed at officials over the missed call - and fans certainly shared his frustration.
"If I see Jordan Love get touched on the helmet one more time with no call, then the league is clearly rigged. That was NOT roughing," wrote one fan, referring to both plays at once.
Another pointed to the Falcons' penalty as the momentum-changing play, writing: "That call changed the entire game so fake and rigged."
Sign up to our NFL newsletter here
Packers linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer for this hit, bailing out Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons offense
Packers linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. was flagged for roughing the passer for this hit, bailing out Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons offense(Image: X @BrickCenter_)
View 2 Images
"That's an unreal call... The dude barely touched him, he pulled up off the quarterback. Michael panix [sic] bent over slightly. This literally nothing else dude could have done. Unreal!!!" another fan lamented.
One more added: "Imagine thinking this is roughing the passer. Same as week 1 in Minnesota. A 3rd-down stop flips into a touchdown for the offense because of a BS penalty. If you're gonna get called for this crap GET YOUR DAMN MONEYS WORTH!"
The officials did finally give a call in favor of the Packers, but it needed a review. After Love was hit and deemed to have fumbled a ball that was recovered by the Falcons, the refs called the play back and insisted his arm was actually moving forward, meaning it was an incomplete pass.
The presence of Penix gave a boost to the Falcons' offense. He started 1-of-5, but with the assistance of the controversial roughing call, Penix went on to complete 12 of his next 14 passes - including a 5-yard touchdown to Austin Hooper - to give the Falcons offense a rhythm it had been lacking through the first two weeks of the season.
Having not logged a single snap in the red zone in the 2026 season thus far entering the game, the Falcons tallied six and scored two touchdowns to lead the Packers 17-7 at halftime.