Atlanta Falcons: Previewing Their 2017 Opponents

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January 7, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

@Detroit Lions

Many people seem to have forgotten just how good Matthew Stafford was before he was injured. Stafford was in the MVP discussion and had his team firing on all cylinders. The injuries piled up for the Lions and Stafford’s hand injury eventually caught up with them.

With a full off-season to heal and with all of his key pieces coming back Stafford and the Lions are set up for another very good season. They have added small defensive pieces as well that will improve their roster including former Falcon Paul Worrilow.

There are rumors as well that the Lions are not done yet and could be looking to add Adrian Peterson. Even with his age Peterson is still capable of being a dynamic running back and would make the Lions a legitimate Super Bowl threat if Stafford plays at the level he did before his injury.

For the Falcons this will be one of the tougher road games on the schedule and one that is way too early to give any predictions on besides the fact it should be an offensive shootout. The Lions and Falcons should both be playoff bound again in 2017 making this one of the can’t miss games on the schedule.

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