Falcons have toughest test of 2025 season in Mercedes-Benz, according to PFSN

One of the NFL’s most lethal weapons at QB + Young Defense = One Tough Challenge

Welcome to the offseason, a time when optimism is running rampant. Undrafted free agents turn into household names and fourth-round rookies are the organization’s future. Another great thing about this time of year: The 2025 NFL schedule release is just around the corner.

At 8 P.M. on May 14, across the NFL network of applications and streaming services, fans internationally will be playing the win/loss game as they get their first look at the next 17 games that will define their favorite franchise’s future. For Pro Football & Sports Network, that means they are looking for the toughest game on every team’s schedule.

While the Atlanta Falcons won’t be the answer for anyone else, the PFSN team did outline a fairly tough matchup against an AFC opponent for Falcons fans to freak out about.

The Michael Penix Jr. era enters a stage of optimism after he showed some signs down the stretch last season and this team has invested plenty in terms of offensive skill position players over the past three seasons.

They are going to need to function at full capacity if they are going to walk away with a win when the Bills come to town – the Falcons have lost 21 of their past 27 games when labeled as an underdog with 10 of those losses coming by double figures.

Atlanta had the pleasure of playing Josh Allen only once, on January 2nd, 2022. The 2021 Falcons were fishing for a statement win to hang their hat on as Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith’s first year was coming to a close.

That Falcons’ defense, a team that ranked 29th in EPA/dropback and allowed 317 passing yards on 80% passing to Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in a 43-3 drubbing, held Buffalo to the fewest passing yards on the season and three interceptions. It was only the second time that Allen didn’t throw for a touchdown and threw three interceptions in a game. That could also be a product of the 26-degree weather and 11-mile-per-hour winds, but I choose to look on the bright side. Especially since that helped Atlanta take a 15-14 lead into halftime.

That’s the good news.

The bad news: They also allowed the most rushing yards of any Bills opponent that year, allowing 233 rushing yards, including 81 to Josh Allen and 110 to Devin Singletary. Buffalo was able to pull out the 29-15 win.

This year, Allen and company get to meet the Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where we will find out three very important things about this Falcons team: How good is this newly-constructed passing defense led by Jessie Bates and A.J. Terrell, how bad is this run defense and, maybe most importantly, can Michael Penix Jr. hang with one of the better weapons at the quarterback position?