Picking 6 interesting games on Falcons schedule: Saints, Chiefs the headliners

The Falcons took another step toward their first season under coach Kevin Stefanski on Thursday night, when their 17-game schedule was announced with dates, times and television information.

It’s a unique slate, one with three consecutive primetime games from Weeks 3-5 and a three-game run through the NFC South to finish the season. But it’s also manageable — the Falcons have the fifth-easiest schedule based on records from last season.

Still, the Falcons have a bevy of challenging matchups to pair with a few noteworthy reunions and other contests with playoff implications. Here are the team’s six most interesting games on paper entering this fall.

Week 3 at Packers

Series record: Packers lead 19-17

The Falcons’ first primetime game of the year comes in Green Bay, where they’ll face the Packers on Sept. 24. It’s the first “Thursday Night Football” game the Falcons and Packers have played against each other. There’s not much that hasn’t been done at Lambeau Field, so making history at one of the league’s most iconic venues counts as interesting on its own.

But this is also an important early-season test on a big stage. The Falcons begin the year on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers before hosting the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. The timing matters here — the Falcons could be undefeated, winless or .500 through two games — but this may be a tone-setting game.

Week 4 at Saints

Series record: Falcons lead 58-56

Though not to the exact date, this season marks the 20-year anniversary of the “Domecoming,” when the Saints hosted the Falcons in New Orleans’ first home game after Hurricane Katrina. The two rivals will meet again on “Monday Night Football,” the middle of a three-game primetime stretch for the Falcons.

The Saints, after battling salary cap issues for several years, enter this fall with optimism behind second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. This is New Orleans’ lone primetime game and its first NFC South matchup. There’s a message for the Saints to send in Week 4, but if the Falcons can spoil the 20th anniversary as they did the 10th, that’s a powerful statement, too.

Week 7 vs. 49ers

Series record: 49ers lead 49-33-1

The obvious storyline is the return of Raheem Morris, who was fired as the Falcons’ head coach after the 2025 season and landed on his feet as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Morris lasted only two years with the Falcons in his latest stint, but he spent eight seasons overall with the organization and grew close to owner Arthur Blank.

The Falcons’ offense has several faces Morris is familiar with, but there are plenty of differences, too, between the coaching staff and on-field personnel.

Morris aside, this could be a good barometer for the Falcons, though they likely won’t need it for that — it’s the end of a tough season-opening stretch where they play six defending playoff teams in the first seven weeks. Where the Falcons stand by the end of that span will largely dictate their relevance over the final 10 games.

Week 10 vs. Chiefs

Series record: Chiefs lead 8-3

This game is interesting, but it’s also plain hard. The Falcons return from their Week 9 game in Madrid — some 8,660 miles round trip — with this decade’s most dominant franchise. The Chiefs trudged to a disappointing 6-11 record last season, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in December.

But Mahomes should be healthy and well acclimated by Week 10, and the Falcons will have a combination of tired legs and dreary eyes. The bye week looms right after, and if the Falcons enter it with a victory over Kansas City, they’ll carry significant momentum into their seven-game sprint to the finish line.

Week 14 at Browns

Series record: Browns lead 12-4

Seven weeks after the Falcons host their former coach, the Browns will do the same. They fired Stefanski in January, ending a six-year tenure that featured two NFL Coach of the Year awards and a pair of postseason berths.

Where both teams stand record-wise will be key to the reception Stefanski receives, but no matter what, emotions will still linger. The Falcons have several former Browns assistants on their staff, too, headlined by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Week 18 at Panthers

Series record: Falcons lead 37-25

Will this game matter? The Falcons have the first 17 weeks to decide that. But a season-ending road game against the defending NFC South champions is marked with potential playoff implications.