The Lead

Penix's Return Sparks Falcons Blowout In Green Bay

Atlanta beat Green Bay 35-14 at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, with Michael Penix Jr. throwing for 256 yards and a touchdown on 18 of 25 passing in his first primetime start back from a torn ACL. Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards and a touchdown as Atlanta's ground game piled up 244 yards against a Packers front missing Micah Parsons to injury and Josh Jacobs to the commissioner's exempt list.

The result reads as a turnaround, but the opponent context matters as much as the box score. Green Bay was without its best pass rusher and its lead back, which flatters an offensive line that had allowed one of the league's worst starts through two weeks.

The real test comes against a defense at full strength. Atlanta gets that answer soon, and until it does, this is a promising data set rather than a confirmed identity.

The Rest of the Slate

Road Cycling Worlds

Isabella Holmgren of Orillia won silver in a photo finish in the women's under-23 road race Thursday in Montreal, Canada's first medal of the championships. Her twin sister Ava finished 15th in the same race, giving the country its breakthrough result in the discipline at these worlds.

Toronto Tempo

The Tempo closed their inaugural season with a 95-81 loss to Connecticut on Thursday, finishing 11-33, the same mark as the relocating Sun. Both teams now carry a 29.5 percent shot at the top pick in next April's WNBA Draft lottery, which matters more to Toronto's roster build than anything in Thursday's box score.

Short Track Speed Skating

Courtney Sarault won silver in the women's 1,500 metres at the Canadian short track championships in Montreal on Thursday. It extends her strong form since her Olympic performance seven months ago, and puts her squarely in the conversation heading into the World Cup season.

The Number

Attempts it took Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns to win a fourball match together The pairing had gone winless in four prior tries as partners before Thursday's Presidents Cup session, and their win kept the Americans ahead 3-2 heading into Friday. Watch whether captain Brandt Snedeker keeps the pairing together for foursomes, since one win after four losses is fragile evidence of chemistry, not proof of it.

What's On Today

            2:05 PM ET · Corey Conners/Nick Taylor vs. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns, Presidents Cup foursomes
7:07 PM ET · Blue Jays vs. Cincinnati Reds
8:00 PM ET · Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
          

Top Dog — Betting Angle

The pick: Blue Jays moneyline. Toronto returns home to open a series against Cincinnati after wrapping up its own road trip, and the extra rest tilts the early advantage Toronto's way.

“One healthy quarterback fixed what three weeks of game plans could not”