ATLANTA — Younghoe Koo booted a 25-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining and rookie Bijan Robinson turned in another dynamic performance Sunday, rallying the Atlanta Falcons to a 25-24 victory over Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Robinson rushed for 124 yards on 19 carries and hauled in four catches for another 48 yards, showing why the Falcons (2-0) selected him No. 8 pick in the draft even though running backs aren’t supposed to go that high anymore.
The Packers (1-1) squandered a 24-12 lead and three more touchdown passes from Love, who now has a half-dozen scoring throws in his first two games as Aaron Rodgers’ replacement in Titletown.
Atlanta’s young quarterback, Desmond Ridder, bootlegged for a 6-yard touchdown on fourth-and-4 with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Then it was Ridder and Robinson teaming up for two more drives that set up field goals by Koo, including a 39-yarder with 8:13 remaining.
Robinson had 56 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving in his NFL debut, a 24-10 victory over the Panthers.
He was even better against the Packers.
Love wasn’t too shabby, either, especially considering the injury-depleted offense that was around him. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 151 yards and hooked up with a pair of rookies on his three TDs.
But the Packers offense dried up in the final quarter, allowing the Falcons to move to 2-0 for only the 11th time in franchise history.
Love went to second-round pick Jayden Reed for touchdowns of 10 and 9 yards — the first scores of the receiver’s young career.
Love also connected with Dontayvion Wicks on a 32-yard touchdown that gave the fifth-round pick his first TD as a pro.
The Packers were missing three injured starters on offense and lost another during the game, leaving Love to play behind a patched-together line.
Koo kicked four field goals to offset a missed extra point that left the Falcons down 10-9 at halftime.
INJURY REPORT
Packers: FB Aaron Jones (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (hamstring) and LT David Bakhtiari (knee) didn’t dress, and Green Bay lost another offensive starter when left guard Elgton Jenkins went down in the first half with a knee injury.
Falcons: No injuries were reported during the game, but the inactive list included a surprise. RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) did not play for the second straight week even though he was not included on the team’s final injury report.
UP NEXT
Packers: Face another NFC South team, the New Orleans Saints, in Green Bay’s home opener at Lambeau Field.
Falcons: Stay in the NFC North for their first road game of the season, traveling to Detroit’s Ford Field to meet the Lions.
