A rest breakdown for Atlanta’s 2025 schedule

The Falcons will be at a “rest disadvantage” slightly more times than at an advantage this season.

The schedule has been released and with it, the NFL has renewed our excitement and bewilderment for the season just as we entered the dead period following the draft. They seem to do a great job of that.

One of the things I like to do after the official schedule is released is to go into the weeds a little bit and look at some of the logistics of Atlanta’s schedule in terms of where the team will have more of a rest advantage and where they will be at a disadvantage. I started this series three years ago and it’s always been an insightful exercise.

First, for the purposes of this breakdown, let’s define what the terms “rest advantage” and “rest disadvantage” are.

A rest advantage is when the Falcons have more time to prepare than their opponent for a specific matchup than vice versa. This could be because their opposition is coming off of a Monday Night Football Game, because Atlanta is coming off of a bye week, or when the Birds are coming off of a Thursday Night Football game and have an extra three days of rest. If the Falcons have at least one more day to prepare than their opponent, that will be classified as a “rest advantage” game.

As you may have guessed, a rest disadvantage is the exact opposite — it’s when the opponent has more time to prepare for their matchup against the Falcons. This could be because they are coming off of a bye week or their own Thursday Night Football Game. Atlanta would also be at a disadvantage if they were to be coming off of a Monday Night Football game, giving them one fewer day to recover and prepare for the next matchup.

Last season, the schedule makers gave the Falcons three games where they were at an advantage from a rest perspective — the team went 2-1 in those matchups.

On the flip side, Atlanta was at a rest disadvantage for four separate matchups, going 2-2 in those matchups.

Here is this season as a whole:

Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 p.m. EST, September 7

Week 2: @ Minnesota Vikings, Sunday Night Football, 8:20 p.m. EST, September 14

Week 3: @ Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. EST, September 21

Week 4: vs. Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EST, September 28

Week 5: BYE WEEK

Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills, Monday Night Football, 7:15 p.m. EST, October 13

Week 7: @ San Francisco 49ers, Sunday Night Football, 8:20 p.m. EST, October 19

Week 8: vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EST, October 26

Week 9: @ New England Patriots, 1 p.m. EST, November 2

Week 10: @ Indianapolis Colts (IN BERLIN) 9:30 a.m. EST, November 9