The Falcons are the functional alcoholics of the NFL. At least if you buy into the Super Bowl hangover nonsense.

Yes, they were on the wrong side of the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, and yes, they could've lost to the lowly Bears in Chicago last week. But the team that took the field on Sunday night, in the first-ever game in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, looked every bit the team that dominated for all but the final 17 minutes of the 2016 season. And they did it against the Packers, just about everyone's pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this February. 

When it was over, the Falcons won 34-23, and they move to 2-0 on the young season.

And unlike the 2016 regular season, this defense -- which ranked 26th, according to Football Outsiders -- isn't a liability; in fact, against Aaron Rodgers they looked like the same group that harassed Tom Brady for three quarters in the Super Bowl before running out of gas (and into the record books for all the wrong reasons ... we digress). Rodgers was under pressure all night, and was absorbing hits you rarely see him take. Neither was the case on a rare Rodgers interception:

But certainly the case on the very first series of the third quarter in which Rodgers was demolished, and the result was a Falcons defensive touchdown:

A stout, consistent defense would be a huge development in Atlanta, and as the group gains confidence, it will only make things easier for an offense that is already capable of scoring 30 points with very little effort.

Here are seven other takeaways from Sunday Night Football:

Should we be concerned about the Packers?

If you're opening a shiny new stadium, schedule the Packers. A year ago this week, the Packers lost to the Vikings in their new digs -- and with just-got-there quarterback Sam Bradford making his first start. At least that game was close -- Minnesota prevailed, 17-14. On Sunday night in Atlanta, the Falcons jumped out to an early lead, was up 24-7 at the half, and after Rodgers was picked off on the aforementioned first pass of the second half, the game was effectively over. 

Yes, yes, we know. Seven months ago, the Falcons led the Patriots 28-3 with three minutes to go in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI and Atlanta ended up losing in overtime. But the Packers came into their Week 2 meeting banged up, and it only got worse after kickoff. Neither starting offensive tackle was active. Do-everything defensive lineman Mike Daniels left with a hamstring injury; Rodgers favorite target, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, suffered a quadriceps injury before making a catch; and safety Kentrell Brice found himself on the sidelines with a groin injury. 

Meanwhile, tight end Martellus Bennett continued to look out of sorts; after just three receptions for 43 yards in the Week 1 win over the Seahawks, Bennett didn't get his first catch until late in the third quarter with the Packers trailing 34-10.

The loss drops Green Bay to 1-1 on the season, which will no doubt lead to gnashing of teeth and rending of garments by Packers faithful -- and the subsequent reminders from Aaron Rodgers to R-E-L-A-X.

There are concerns, of course; the secondary, just like a season ago, remains inconsistent. To the Packers' credit, they addressed some of those needs in the draft, and 2017 second-round pick Kevin King showed well at cornerback against one of the league's most dynamic offenses. Here are King's first-half numbers, and he was just as efficient over the final 30 minutes:

And while we can't imagine any rational observer would think the Packers' Super Bowl hopes are all but dashed, for the suddenly skeptical, remember this: This outfit was 4-6 last season before catching fire, ripping off eight straight wins and facing off against the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. Of course, Atlanta shredded Green Bay in that game, jumping out to a 24-0 lead before winning 44-21, but the larger point remains: One game, especially in Week 2, doesn't mean much.

There's more, if you're still not convinced: Two years ago, the Packers were blown out by the Seahawks in Week 1 and lost to the Lions in Week 3. They finished 12-4 and played in the conference championship game.

Julio Jones remains one of the NFL's top two receivers

The Packers tried to double-team Julio Jones early in the game and they just couldn't do it. It wasn't from lack of trying, mind you, but from lack of not being from the same planet as Jones.

Here he is on the Falcons' first drive of the game:

Jones had 53 receiving yards on that first drive, which set the tone for the rest of the evening -- it was a nine-play, 85-yard affair that ended with Devonta Freeman sashaying into the end zone for the first touchdown in Mercedes-Benz Stadium history -- and he finished the first half with four receptions for 95 yards. Jones only had one other catch on the night: a huge nine-yard reception with just over four minutes to go and the Falcons leading by 11 that all but sealed the win. 

And you might say that the Packers shut down Jones over the final 30 minutes, but the other side of that argument is that Jones required so much attention that he opened things up for the other Falcons pass catchers. Ryan targeted eight different receivers, including Mohamed Sanu, who finished with five receptions for 85 yards.

Freeman's celebration was better than his touchdown

We mentioned that Freeman scored the first touchdown in Mercedes-Benz Stadium's young history:

And that was a prelude to a solid group celebration:

Freeman had two touchdowns on the evening and finished 84 yards on 19 carries.

Oh, and can someone explain why the NFL was so adamant about penalizing celebrations until this year? It's secretly been one of the pleasant surprises through two weeks of the season. 

Even in defeat, Rodgers sets records

Rodgers has had better games -- and has taken fewer hits, for sure -- but when he led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that cut the lead to 34-23, you got the sense that he felt like they still had a chance. The football gods disagreed, though this pass wasn't shoveled in vain:

That was touchdown pass No. 300 for Rodgers, which moves him into a tie for 10th with John Elway on the all-time list. Rodgers has accomplished the feat in 144 games, which is faster than anyone in NFL history.

About that new stadium

Here's what $1.2 billion gets you:

There's also that roof, and the wrap-around scoreboard, which is the biggest stadium scoreboard in North America:

But a billion-dollar stadium doesn't mean overpriced food

This is pretty remarkable. In an age where stadium food and drinks can be marked up 200 percent, Falcons owner Arthur Blank wanted no part of that price-gouging custom. As he figured it, folks were paying enough for game tickets; the least the Falcons could do was offer affordable concessions. 

Free unlimited refills too!

Good on you, Arthur. 

Next up

The Falcons (2-0) will travel to Detroit to face the Lions (1-0) while the Packers (1-1) return home to face the woebegone Bengals (0-2), who were shut out by the Ravens in Week 1 and found a way to lose to the Texans in Week 2 -- both in Cincinnati, by the way.