The last time the Packers played the Falcons was in 2020 when Atlanta came to Green Bay. The Packers jumped out to a 20-3 lead and it was never really close. Robert Tonyan had 3 touchdowns and Rodgers threw 4 total touchdowns.

But Rodgers and Tonyan are both gone, just like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are gone from the Falcons.

In just a few short years, these teams are completely made over. Now, Jordan Love and Desmond Ridder lead completely new casts against each other.

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

The first game of the Jordan Love era was an unquestionable success. While he wasn't perfect, Love showed poise in the pocket and a command of the offense. He missed some balls early, but also came through with some clutch plays (3rd and long, 4th and 3 come to mind).

He'll face a better defense this week. The Falcons show a lot of different looks in their defensive backfield, which will test Love. However, Matt LaFleur has been great at putting Jordan Love in a position to succeed in his short career. Love will need to be quick and decisive playing against a fast defense.

Falcons safety Jesse Bates had two picks last week. Both of them came when he broke hard on tight passes in the middle of the field. He wasn't out there chasing down floaters, he picked off some fast balls. Those are the kind of situations that the previous Packers quarterback always avoided. Jordan Love worked the middle of the field effectively last week, but will need to look off the safety again to avoid these kind of plays.

Leaning on the run game will help the offense avoid that. Aaron Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury, but it does not appear to be serious. However, it may limit how much he is used (which, oddly, happens even when he seems totally healthy). AJ Dillon didn't have a lot of production last week, so Patrick Taylor may take on an expanded role. Falcons inside linebacker Troy Andersen, who led the team in tackles last week, is out for this game, which should give the Packers a little boost in the run game. (UPDATE: Aaron Jones is expected to be inactive - I expect this to lead to a decrease in running success, but not a major overhaul to the gameplan. The Packers should still be able to move the chains running the ball if they can wear down the Atlanta front by rotating fresh backs).

Last week, the Panthers ran 32 times for 154 yards against Atlanta, and it wasn't because of one or two long runs skewed the average. The grinded out consistent yards. The Packers are more than capable of doing that, too. But they'll need better blocking in the interior to pull it off.

Josh Myers was a train wreck in run blocking last week, single-handedly ruining many promising plays. This week, Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata will give the Packers fits if Myers plays like he did last year. The Packers may need to combo block on the inside all day and could lean on Josiah Deguara as a lead blocker.

The rest of the line performed well overall, but center is a concern against a strong Atlanta front that is sure to attack the Packers weakness.

WHEN THE PACKERS ARE ON DEFENSE

The Falcons have an inexperienced young quarterback and ran a lot of short passes last week to compensate.

Desmond Ridder who has some nice tools, but lacks experience and heavy production. In 5 career starts, he's never thrown for 225 yards. He's also never thrown an interception. He's a careful passer who still has the training wheels on. He leans on short stuff, especially to his running backs. Last week, he had 9 completions to running backs, 3 to wide receivers, and 2 to tight ends.

Last year, he leaned heavily on big receiver Drake London, but last week, London only saw one target (which he dropped). The Falcons will surely try to mix that up this week, but the running game will be the focus of their attack.

Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was one of the higher-rated running back prospects to come out in a while, and Tyler Allgeier rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie last year. Both are physical, forward-leaning runners who are tough to bring down. Plus, Robinson was a really weapon our of the backfield. His 6 catches were more than anyone else's targets (Mack Hollins, 4), and he had an impressive move to get his receiving touchdown.

With an offense predicated on a two-back running attack and a lot of short passes, the Packers defensive front will need to be every bit as active and disruptive as they were last week. While they won't have to chase Justin Fields around, Robinson is shifty and he and Allgeier both run with power. Intensity will be key.

OTHER NOTES

Jerry Gray, who was the Packers defensive backs coach for the last 3 years, is now the assistant head coach in Atlanta - he will no doubt help Ridder prepare to face the Packers defensive backs and probably knows more about Jordan Love than most opposing coaches.

I don't know if any other Packers kickers had 5 extra points and a 50 yard field goal in their debut before, but it was a very impressive start for Anders Carlson, especially considering his struggles in training camp.

Aaron Jones and Christian Watson are the two biggest weapons the Packers have - both are listed as Questionable on the injury report.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Packers and Falcons both looked good against easy opponents in Week 1. 

This week, things get tougher for both of them. The Falcons have a strong defensive line and a ball-hawking safety, meaning Jordan Love will need to be dialed in. Judging by last week, I don't think that will be a problem. Matt LaFleur trusted him to throw in key situations and he came through. As his confidence grows, this offense can really open up.

On the other side, Desmond Ridder is still being brought along slowly and hasn't been called on for those clutch throws yet. I expect them to run a lot of misdrection with running backs, but I think the Packers speed and energy on defense will be more than enough to counteract this.

Packers 27, Falcons 17