The Falcoholic
What’s the toughest game on the schedule? How good will Atlanta be in 2025?
The 2025 Atlanta Falcons schedule is out, and we have thoughts. The team is headed into a critically important season where the continued employment of front office personnel and coaches may hinge on winning, the team is trying to shake off seven straight losing years, and they’re hoping that players like Michael Penix and Jalon Walker will prove to be franchise building blocks. Does this schedule enable that?
Below, you’ll find us weighing in with early record predictions, thoughts on the easiest and hardest games, and what we’re circling on the calendar. Share yours in the comments!
Hardest matchup: Week 7 @ San Francisco 49ers
Easiest matchup: Week 13 @ New York Jets
Circled on the calendar: Week 15 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This season has everything except a reasonable bye week. The Falcons will be in primetime five times for the second year in a row and play an international game in Berlin, putting more eyes on the team than ever. If there’s one thing this franchise can do, it’s entertain. Atlanta opens up with a formidable six-game stretch and has to play 13 weeks consecutively, thanks to their Week 5 bye.
The Week 7 matchup at San Francisco bookends the tough start and appears to be the hardest matchup to me. They’ll be traveling on a short week after facing the Buffalo Bills (another tough matchup), and this game will likely have playoff implications. The Falcons will have opportunities against less-established rosters like the Jets, but this schedule is not a cakewalk.
The Buccaneers are still the team to beat. Atlanta’s best shot at winning the division is sweeping them again, and I expect Week 15 to be a battle for first. —Tre’Shon Diaz
Hardest matchup: Week 6 vs. Buffalo Bills
Easiest matchup: Week 13 @ New York Jets
Circled on the calendar: Week 18 vs. New Orleans
This is a straightforward schedule with plenty of primetime games, an international trip, and an early bye. The bad news is that most of the toughest matchups on paper are in the early season, but if the Falcons weather that well, they get that Week 5 bye and a month-plus of potential cupcakes highlighted by the Patriots, Jets, Colts, Saints, and Panthers. The good news is that it seems like a manageable schedule if this team is up to snuff; indeed, I was ready to count up eight or nine wins but honestly feel like 11 is well within reach if Michael Penix is for real and the Falcons realize the defensive improvement they’re targeting. I know, I know, I should know better.
The toughest matchup is likely to be an always dangerous Bills team, even if Atlanta is home for it, which will be especially true after playing the Commanders and Cardinals in back-to-back weeks before that. The easiest is a toss-up between the Jets, Patriots, Colts,...
