The Win Column: How ‘bout those Falcons, eh?

Michael Penix Jr. showed few signs of rust, Bijan Robinson did extra Bijan-y things and, by the end of “Thursday Night Football,” the Lambeau Field faithful were hotter than a fondue pot.

Shall we revel in it a bit?

POSITIVE FALCONS FEELINGS

Bijan Robinson scores in Thursday's game. He accounted for 213 total yards. Receiver Drake London added 194 of his own. (Matt Ludtke/AP)

And by revel in it, I mean “read a few cool things Falcons players and coaches said after their 35-14 dismantling of the Packers.”

Safety Jessie Bates III, on Penix: “I know he was facing a lot of questions about when he was going to be back. For us to come out and perform and show our love for one another and show it to Mike, it was a great feeling. He was dying to get back.

“Before that last preseason game, he was in the locker room crying because he wouldn’t be ready. I know how much it means to him. I know how much he means to this locker room.”

• Cunningham: Penix earns his redemption
• 5 quick takeaways from the Falcons win

Offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom, on Penix: “For him to have that moment is great. I told him on the sideline, just seeing him smile like that was great. It’s a great team moment.”

Penix, on his debut: “It feels great. Coming out of it healthy is awesome. I am just blessed. I just thank God for everything I’ve been through and Him being with me every step of the way. I’m thankful for my teammates, my coaches, my family, support staff.”

Robinson, on his first touchdown: “That was the weight off the shoulders — just getting back to the red zone. And we knew we had to punch it in every opportunity we get when we get down there. That was the main focus — to get the ball down there and let’s put the ball in the end zone. When we scored, it was definitely something we enjoyed, and we kept on doing it.”

• Falcons position grades: Plenty of As to go around
• How a ‘Superman’ pregame speech sparked Falcons

Head coach Kevin Stefanski, on the pass rush: “Outstanding. Like I told them, they harassed the quarterback. I think sacks can be liars. We love to get the sacks whenever we can, but you want to pressure the quarterback, and I thought he was under pressure quite a bit.”

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter: “That’s our mindset as a D-line. We feel like we’re the best.”

The Falcons now have an extra long break before their next game, on Oct. 5. But it’s a doozy: “Monday Night Football” in New Orleans … where they’ll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ post-Katrina “Domecoming” game.

PLAYOFF DREAMING

Allisha Gray is ready. Are you? (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

No need to wait on the Bravos for postseason action. The Atlanta Dream’s playoff run starts 7 p.m. Sunday — when they kick off a best-of-three series against the Washington Mystics, live from State Farm Arena.

The fourth-seeded Dream (30-14) finished the regular season with five straight wins, not to mention nine of their last 10. They beat the Mystics by 32 back in June, but dropped their remaining two matchups.

A quick scouting report

• Angel Reese and the rest of Atlanta’s frontcourt will be key against Washington, which boasts one of the WNBA’s best post-playing tandems.
• Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen are the first set of teammates in league history to each post at least 20 double-doubles in the same season.
• Guard Sonia Citron ain’t half bad either. She, Austin and Iriafen average about 49 combined points per game.

🎟️ Sunday’s game airs on Amazon Prime. Right now, the cheapest tickets are running about $92.

WHAT’S IN A (WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM’S) NAME?

Remember how Atlanta’s getting a professional women’s soccer team that’ll start play in 2027?

Well, the folks behind the nascent NWSL squad seem to have something cooked up for Monday. Social media and YouTube posts cryptically teasing that date popped up this week.

We’re assuming it’s a name reveal and — given the “See how this city plays” YouTube title — taking a wild stab that it’s something like “Atlanta City.”

Kinda boring but classy, and pairs well with Atlanta United. Just a hunch.

🎉 Either way: There’s a public launch party set for Sunday, Oct. 4. Details here.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BY THE NUMBERS

99: Kirby Smart wins since Georgia’s iconic 2018 Rose Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Saturday’s matchup (3:30 p.m., ESPN) marks the first time the teams have played since.

2,500: The (approximate) distance, in miles, that Georgia Tech will travel for its ACC opener at Stanford (10:30 p.m. EST, ESPN). They’ll also play without the services of several starters, including safety Savion Riley.

47: President Donald Trump plans to attend Saturday’s clash between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville (noon, ABC). “College GameDay” will be there, too.

6: Top 25 showdowns set for the weekend. In addition to Texas-Tennessee, we’ve got …

• No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC)
• No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan (3:30 p.m., CBS)
• No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC)
• No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC (7:30 p.m., NBC)
• No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State (7:45 p.m., SEC Network)

Take a closer look at some of those SEC matchups here.

1-1: The score among Georgia’s U.S. senators when it comes to the “Protect College Sports Act,” which could see a final Senate vote early next week. Sen. Raphael Warnock is opposed, while counterpart Jon Ossoff deemed it “a clear improvement over the status quo.”

I’M NOT FREAKING OUT. ARE YOU FREAKING OUT?

Martín Pérez during an August start in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP)

Not to be all melodramatic but … are we really doing this again?

Likely Game 3 playoff starter Martín Pérez returned to the injured list Thursday, joining the Braves’ long list of 2026 pitching setbacks — and its seemingly annual tradition of hurlers getting hurt just before the postseason.

• “A team that could stock a hardware aisle with all the wrenches thrown at it this season, the Braves have now lost two starters from their rotation this month,” columnist Ken Sugiura wrote.