Atlanta will be challenged early.
The Atlanta Falcons will need to hit the ground running in 2025. The opening six-game stretch looks like the most difficult of the season.
All but one of these teams made the playoffs in 2024. Atlanta starts with a home division game against the reigning NFC South champs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ll follow that up with a three-game stretch against a new generation of quarterbacks in J.J. McCarthy (Vikings), Bryce Young (Panthers), and Jayden Daniels (Commanders). Atlanta is on their bye in Week 5, before finishing the stretch with back-to-back primetime matchups against the Buffalo Bills (MNF) and San Francisco 49ers (SNF). The Falcons also play the Vikings in primetime on Sunday Night Football.
Prime Time Five Times ✨ pic.twitter.com/RTmAztM8Nr
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 15, 2025
The team will get tested early, and it’s going to happen for all of America to see. Coaches and players will have their work cut out for them; there will be no time for a sophomore slump. Atlanta will play two division games and five NFC conference games, meaning this stretch will have playoff implications. The team has the pieces to walk out with a winning record or one hovering at .500, but it means they have to hit the ground running.
Last year, Atlanta’s controller didn’t connect until the second half of the Eagles game, and the team opened up 1-2. They recovered, reached 4-2, and we all lived happily ever after. Many were critical of the Falcons slow start against Pittsburgh; luckily, AFC games are far less meaningful. That is not the case with a division rival in this year’s opening slot. Will this force the Falcons to change their approach to preseason? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Falcons have the benefit of playing less experienced quarterbacks, but have a pretty inexperienced defense after doing some significant turnover this offseason. Pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. will be learning to walk and shouldn’t be counted on to produce at a consistent level immediately, but this stretch will make them better players. The secondary could also feature two starting rookies, Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman. The reality is that this league does have an adjustment period, and it’s different for everyone. I have high expectations for this class, but they will all be better players by the end of this year than they were at the beginning, at least if things are going well.
No one will feel more pressure to perform than Michael Penix. He has been given the keys to the franchise and has a $100M backup watching his every move. He’s going to face off and get compared (fairly or unfairly) to the two quarterbacks from his class, Daniels and McCarthy, along with reigning MVP Josh Allen. NFL fans will either be calling him a bust or a legend by Week 7. Welcome to the league.
These six games won’t decide the season, but they will set the tone and narrow down the Falcons’ available paths to the playoffs. This staff knows better than anyone that it doesn’t matter how good you start if you can’t finish. The Falcons will need to play respectable football all 17 weeks, and meeting that standard against this opening stretch could give this young team the belief that they can do it.