Penix comes back from the ACL, and the Packers get buried at home
Michael Penix Jr. returned from a torn ACL Thursday night and Atlanta rolled Green Bay 35-14 at Lambeau, handing Matt LaFleur his worst home loss ever and a 1-2 start that has Green Bay fans asking hard questions.
In brief
Penix comes back from the ACL, and the Packers get buried at home
Ten months is a long time to sit. Michael Penix Jr. had watched from the sideline since November, when he tore the ACL in his left knee, and in the interim the Atlanta Falcons started 0-2 with a third-string quarterback behind center. Thursday night at Lambeau Field, in a nationally televised Week 3 matchup, the 2026 season finally looked like the one Falcons fans had imagined.
Atlanta beat Green Bay 35-14. It wasn't close.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons capitalized on the return of Penix and trounced the punchless Packers at Lambeau. Atlanta erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 27 straight points to take control amid a chorus of boos. Drake London matched Robinson almost yard for yard. Robinson posted 194 rushing yards and London posted 194 receiving yards in the kind of game fantasy managers dream about.
The Falcons outrushed the Packers 242 yards to 17. It was a stunning turn of events for an Atlanta offense that hadn't run a single play inside an opponent's 20-yard line during the first two weeks of the season. Robinson put it plainly after the game. "That was the weight off the shoulders, just getting back to the red zone," he said. "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."
Penix shakes off the rust, then dominates
He was not sharp early. Penix was back, playing his first game since Nov. 16 due to a torn ACL, and it took a quarter to knock off some rust. On his first possession in more than 10 months, he threw a telegraphed interception right over the middle to safety Xavier McKinney. Penix went 2 of 7 for 22 passing yards and an interception by the end of the first quarter, with a passer rating of 0.6.
Then Robinson hit the gas. Robinson had a 55-yard gallop which set up his 3-yard TD run, the first time the Falcons had been in the red zone all season. The offense found its footing. Penix, playing in his first game in 10 months, overcame that slow start to throw for 256 yards and a score on 18 of 25 passing.
Atlanta routinely moved the ball down the field, finishing with 498 total yards while averaging 7.5 yards per play. The Falcons picked up 25 first downs across 11 drives. With the win, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski improved to 6-0 in Thursday night games.
A night to forget at Lambeau
For Green Bay, the box score read like an indictment. Jordan Love was forced to throw 53 passes, completing 28 for two touchdowns and an interception as the Packers' running game was nowhere to be found, nine rushes for 17 yards. Love was working behind an offensive line missing left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, who tore his patellar tendon Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.
Green Bay lost a home opener for the first time since falling 30-22 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The Packers had won 13 straight home openers from 2013 through 2025 to share the NFL record with the Miami Dolphins, who also won 13 in a row from 1976 to 1988.
This was the largest home loss in Matt LaFleur's eight years as Packers head coach. The Packers have also never started 1-2 under LaFleur. After the game, LaFleur did not have much to offer. "We've got a couple extra days here, and everybody's got to take a long, hard look at themselves," he said. "We've got to find solutions and just come back ready to work."
That sounds reasonable. The outside noise, though, is growing louder. LaFleur got a contract extension in January, and Packers president and CEO Ed Policy scoffed at the idea LaFleur's job was in danger. His 77-42-1 record is better than all but a few active coaches. His win percentage is better than Andy Reid's career mark. And yet, after Thursday night's uncompetitive loss to a previously winless Falcons team, time might be running out.
LaFleur's name was already trending before midnight in Green Bay. ESPN's Marc Raimondi and Rob Demovsky had a story up within hours, and LaFleur's own words about the Packers' offensive woes, 'I don't know what we're doing well', circulated quickly.
What comes next
Atlanta's road does not get easy. The Falcons, now 1-2, still need to claw back to .500. But Penix finished 18-of-25 for 256 yards and a touchdown, and his consistency and calm in a nationally televised primetime matchup may have helped turn the season around. Penix returned to the field for the first time since undergoing season-ending ACL surgery in November of last year, and after a start that involved knocking some rust off, got the offense moving downfield, with the threat of the pass game opening things up for Robinson.
Green Bay plays next on the road. While Atlanta's offense was firing, it was the complete opposite story for the Packers, who were playing without wideout Jayden Reed and two starters on the offensive line. Even accounting for those absences, getting outrushed 242 to 17 inside Lambeau is the kind of number that follows a coaching staff for weeks.
Also in the NFL this week: the Ravens face the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 27 in the historic first NFL regular-season game at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium. Brazil is home to more than 36 million NFL fans and is one of the league's most significant international markets. Lamar Jackson is the headliner, and the Ravens are pushing to get back into championship contention under first-year head coach Jesse Minter. That game kicks off Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.
Back in Green Bay, the boos at Lambeau lasted well past the final whistle. Penix's passer rating in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons needed to close it out, was 104.7.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
