Atlanta Falcons’ Three Toughest Games in 2015

facebooktwitterreddit

While many experts believe that the Atlanta Falcons have a fairly navigable schedule in 2015, there are still a handful of games that will test this team as it tries to get back into the playoff picture.  With the amount of parity in the NFL, there is a lot of fluctuation in the conference standings year after year.  We can only really forecast so much.  Here are what I believe will be the Atlanta Falcons’ three toughest games in 2015.

Week 6: At New Orleans Saints (Thursday Night Football)

The feeling is mutual.  The Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints despise one another.  New Orleans has a statue of a blocked punt they had against the Falcons back in 2006 in front of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  Atlanta completed a season sweep of the Saints last year.  These bitter rivals usually split their season series with the home team coming out on top.

Though the Saints no longer have Jimmy Graham on their roster as the Saints traded him to Seattle for Max Unger and a first-round pick during free agency, playing on the road in the Superdome during a primetime game is a tall task for even the most complete of football teams.  I’m not saying that the Falcons will definitely come up short in Week 6, but I will come away impressed if Atlanta comes out of the Big Easy with a victory this fall.

Week 11: Vs. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck and the Colts come to town in late November with serious Super Bowl aspirations.  The Colts have historically dominated the perennially weak AFC South.  Luck enters Year Four as a no-brainer top ten quarterback.  Chuck Pagano’s team has reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

I know this is a home game but the Colts just played in the AFC Championship game.  They are the only ‘final four’ team from last year that Atlanta will play in 2015.  The crowd factor won’t really bother the Colts as they too are a dome team, playing at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.  I’m fired up for this game because Matt Ryan and Andrew Luck are both top ten passers.  Atlanta will be lucky to beat a Colts team that might only lose four times next year during the regular season.

More from Atlanta Falcons

Week 14: At Carolina Panthers

Atlanta has struggled in recent seasons to beat the rival Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.  Although the Falcons came away from the Hornet’s Nest victorious last fall, Cam Newton and company absolutely pasted Mike Smith’s Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.  Coming up short in a divisional title game at home ultimately cost Smitty his job.

The Panthers are the two-time reigning NFC South Division Champs.  Carolina is the only team to repeat as champions since realignment in 2002.  In order say your team is the best, you have to take down the champ at their place.  It’s always a tough battle when the Falcons and Panthers play.  Expect both contests to go down to the wire in 2015.