Atlanta Falcons: Five Things We Learned From the Falcons Schedule
By Deke Lloyd
1. First Five Weeks Are Brutal
Atlanta will open the season on the road in Minnesota to face off with the Vikings. Next, the Falcons open up at home with the Eagles before going on the road again to face the Colts. Then, back home with the Titans and one more time on the road to face the Texans. That means the Falcons will open the season playing three teams, Philadelphia, Houston, and Indianapolis, in the first five weeks. The other two teams, Minnesota and Tennessee, both had winning records and missed the playoffs by small margins.
The Falcons opened up the season with a punishing slate of games can be viewed as a good thing. It can end up being bad, too. But with the roster assembled as is today, even with the deficiencies in some roster spots, is still good enough to run the table against this run of games. It won’t be easy, and I doubt the Falcons will run the five games, but it’s possible for the Falcons to be looking at a 5-0 or 4-1 record in these games. And with the Arizona Cardinals waiting for the sixth game, the Falcons just need to keep their head above water during this portion of the season.
The first five games of any season are important for the momentum that a team can build moving through the rest of the season. If the Falcons can build a little momentum off these games, this team has an opportunity to put a special season together. It sounds simple but it won’t be. The Falcons can’t come into the start of the regular season sluggish. This schedule has the possibility of starting the season in a hole. Or it could be the start of something great. That’s up to the Falcons.