The Falcoholic
Figuring out the hardest matchups, the teams Atlanta must beat to prove they’re for real, and more.
The 2025 NFL schedule will be released at 8 p.m. Wednesday night on the NFL’s network of applications and streaming services. All 32 teams and their fans will better understand how the season could shake out and what elements they could be playing in later on in the season.
This is crucial for the Atlanta Falcons as they travel to the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and New York Jets, which are potential cold-weather teams that play outside.
Before we start this exercise, let’s not go down the “every game is a must-win in the NFL” route. Atlanta should try to win each of these games. That’s a given.
However, with each game, there is something new that you can learn about yourself as a team. How competitive can we be in the grand scheme of the NFL? How good is our offense? How sustainable is the current structure of the team? That’s what this exercise is for.
For a reminder, here are all of the Atlanta Falcons’ opponents for next season:
Vs. Carolina
Vs. New Orleans
Vs. Tampa Bay
@ Carolina
@ New Orleans
@ Tampa Bay
Vs. Los Angeles Rams
Vs. Seattle Seahawks
Vs. Buffalo Bills
Vs. Miami Dolphins
@ New England Patriots
@ New York Jets
Vs. Washington Commanders (NFC East)
@ Minnesota Vikings (NFC North)
@ Indianapolis Colts (AFC South)
Until we know what order Atlanta will play these teams, we will utilize this opportunity to tier the Falcons’ 2025 non-divisional opponents into three tiers:
I’m not going to add in the divisional opponents simply because, they play them twice a year. We have a fairly good understanding of what they are.
The Buffalo Bills, as long as they have Josh Allen, will continue to be potential difference-makers in the grand scheme of the NFL. According to Pro Football & Sports Network, they are the toughest opponent on the schedule for the Falcons. Looking at Atlanta’s schedule, this is maybe the only truly complete team that also has continuity on both sides of the ball. The physical nature of Buffalo’s offense with Allen and James Cook, along with their offensive line and a defense that now consists of Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau on the edges, will make life tough for a young Falcons team.
The Vikings' defense makes me very nervous. Adding Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave alongside Harrison Phillips on the defensive line, while keeping Andrew Van Ginkel, Josh...
