The Falcons play their first regular season game inside the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Atlanta Falcons have their big homecoming of the 2017 season, opening up the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship. The game will be televised on NBC and streaming online at the NBC Sports app.

These two last met in the playoffs, with the Falcons crushing the Packers on their way to Super Bowl 51. They’re now trying to regroup after a historic collapse in that Super Bowl, with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan taking the head coaching job in San Francisco. Steve Sarkisian is now in charge of calling the plays.

The Falcons were less than sharp in their season opener, but they did enough to eke out a 23-17 win over the Chicago Bears on the road. Matt Ryan, coming off an MVP campaign, threw for 321 yards and a touchdown in the victory. The big highlight was tight end Austin Hooper laying down a mean stiff-arm during an 88-yard touchdown catch.

The Packers are coming off a gritty 17-9 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers got all he could handle against the Legion of Boom, but the Packers’ defense stepped up to shut down Russell Wilson and Seattle’s running game. That defense will have another tough test against the Falcons, who smoked them for 493 total net yards in the 44-21 NFC Championship loss.

It should be an electric atmosphere in the Falcons’ new home, with two teams looking to build off 1-0 starts and get back into the postseason. It would not be surprising at all if they meet in January once again.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: NBCSports.com
• Odds: Falcons favored by 3

Packers vs. Falcons news

The Falcoholic previews this game with its four most fascinating storylines.

Sarkisian shouldn’t be criticized for staying committed to the run. How can you get away from a prolific running back duo in a close game? Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman can change a game in an instant flash. What Sarkisian will need to revise is his philosophy for the passing game. It was far too conservative and unimaginative last Sunday. This offense is known for producing big plays and creating magic off play action. Neither of those things came to fruition. Only converting one out of three red zone opportunities didn’t help his cause either. He appears to have the balance down for this offense to remain efficient. Now it’s time to loosen up the playbook and get more creative with an abundance of playmakers.

Falcons rookie Takk McKinley is a feel-good story everybody should be rooting for.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn figures that Takk will be a huge addition to the Falcons’ nickel package. Having a consistent pass rusher on the edge will come in handy when the Falcons play teams with huge pass games like the Packers.

Takk McKinley has come a long way from where he started, and he’s making a name for himself in the NFL. Watch Takk this season.

Acme Packing Company looks back at the most memorable moments of past Falcons-Packers games.

Despite just 28 all-time meetings in the regular season, a Packers-Falcons game has often been played with eventual postseason implications in the Brett Favre era and beyond. These games also tend to be nail-biters; nine of the last ten regular season meetings were decided by eight points or less, including six by three or fewer points. Much like Green Bay’s non-divisional rivalries that have developed with the likes of San Francisco, Dallas, and Seattle, fans of both sides are connected by memories of both bitterness and joy. So much in recent times that it makes the two franchises seem closer than their 900-plus mile separation.

Mike Daniels is questionable with a hip injury, but expected to play after a dominant performance against the Seahawks.

The Packers listed seven players on this week’s Friday injury report, four of whom are essentially starters and another two who play key backup roles. Joining Bulaga with the questionable tag are a pair of the team’s brightest stars in the trenches: left tackle David Bakhtiari and defensive tackle Mike Daniels.

Meanwhile, Daniels had a hip issue flare up in Thursday’s practice, limiting him in practice. However, despite his questionable tag, he expressed confidence in his availability on Twitter Thursday night.

Packers vs. Falcons predictions

SB Nation’s experts strongly favor the home team, with seven of eight writers picking the Falcons. Joel Thorman is the only one picking the Packers.