It was Dan Quinn’s second season as coach when the Falcons got hot and made an unexpected run to Super Bowl 51 with a veteran quarterback.
So, there’s absolutely no pressure on coach Raheem Morris, who’s headed into his second season, to repeat the major move of that 2016 team, even with a quarterback who has only three NFL games under his belt.
But with the release of the Falcons’ schedule, and knowing the timing of the games, the sky appears to be the limit.
The 2025 schedule does have some challenges.
- The Falcons open with four of their first five games against teams who went to the playoffs in 2024.
- They have an early bye, in Week 5.
- They’ll need to be late-season road warriors, as they have a stretch over late November and early December when they play four of five road games.
To overcome the scheduling challenges, the offense, in it’s second year under coordinator Zac Robinson, must perform at a high level. If the offense is scoring, that will give new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich some time to pull things together on the revamped unit.
Against a similarly tough early schedule last season, the Falcons came out swinging. They beat the Super Bowl-bound Eagles in Week 2 and nearly knocked out the then-defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs the following week. The Falcons raced to 6-3 in their plan to “outrun the NFC South.”
But things then actually went south when Kirk Cousins played despite a shoulder injury and tossed nine interceptions over the next five games. Cousins was benched, and the team ended the season with an 8-9 record.
So, if the Falcons get off to a similar fast start and manage their injuries better, they could have a chance to end their stretch of seven consecutive losing seasons and return to the playoffs.
Once back in the playoffs, anything can happen.
Here are our game-by-game predictions:
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, vs. Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Fox
The pick: The Falcons swept the Bucs last season, but both games were close. The Falcons won the first one in overtime and in the second game, after a missed field-goal attempt by Younghoe Koo, they had to withstand a failed Hail Mary pass at the buzzer in the 31-26 win. It’ll be Michael Penix Jr.’s first time facing Todd Bowles’ defense. Projected record: 0-1
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, at Vikings, 8:20 p.m., NBC
The pick: Penix gets revenge over J.J. McCarthy. They faced each other in the college football championship game Jan. 9, 2024, in Houston. Michigan took Washington to the woodshed, 34-13. Also, the Falcons will be ready after getting pounded, 42-21, by the Vikings last season on Dec. 8. Projected record: 1-1
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, at Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
The pick: The Falcons get revenge for the 44-38 overtime loss that dropped them to 8-9 in the 2024 regular-season finale. We’re still not sure if Bryce Young has it all figured out. Projected record: 2-1
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, vs. Commanders, 1 p.m., CBS
The pick: With Penix at the controls, the Falcons went toe to toe with the Commanders last season before losing 30-24 in overtime in Week 17. Penix versus Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels has the potential to a fine QB battle for years to come. Projected record: 2-2
Week 5: Bye Week
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 13, vs. Bills, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
The pick: The reigning MVP vs. a young quarterback. Bills will be heavily favored. Projected record: 2-3
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19, at 49ers, 8:20 p.m., NBC
The pick: The Falcons get to face former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who guided that 2016 offense into the record books. The Falcons should be able to handle the retooled 49ers. Projected record: 3-3.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26, vs. Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
The pick: The Dolphins are a mirage team. They beat the subpar teams and lose to the good teams. The Falcons figure to be a good team and can handle the Dolphins. Projected record: 4-3
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, at Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS
The pick: Quarterback Drake Maye was taken five picks before Penix. Maye showed some promise last season as a rookie, but the Patriots are in full rebuilding mode. Projected record: 5-3
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, at Colts in Berlin, 9:30 a.m., NFL Network
The pick: Penix and a revamped defense can handle Anthony Richardson and/or Daniel Jones at quarterback. This figures to be a run-defense test game. The Falcons are light upfront, but need to handle the run game. Projected record: 6-3
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
The pick: The Panthers, who always play the Falcons tough, will pull out the win against the jet-lagged Falcons. Projected record: 6-4
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, at Saints, 4:25 p.m., Fox
The pick: This will be a bounce-back game for the Falcons. New Saints coach Kellen Moore is finding how tough this rivalry is when you don’t have a quarterback and your defense is aging. Projected record: 7-4
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, at Jets, 1 p.m., Fox
The pick: The Jeff Ulbrich Bowl. The former defensive coordinator and interim head coach returns to face some of his old Jets players. The Falcons will be ready on offense and will look back to the 2023 videotape on how Justin Fields torched them in Chicago. Projected record: 8-4
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, vs. Seahawks, 1 p.m., Fox
The pick: The Seahawks pummeled the Falcons 34-14 last season with Geno Smith at quarterback. Sam Darnold torched them in Minnesota. So, this looks like a loss. Projected record: 8-5
Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 11, vs. Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Amazon Prime
The pick: Now with 12 more games under his belt, Penix is ready for Bowles and his blitz packages. Falcons get some sacks on Baker Mayfield and prevail. Projected record: 9-5
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, at Cardinals 4:05 p.m., Fox
The pick: You’d think this should be an easy W, but we know how past teams have struggled in the Valley of the Sun. The Falcons have lost their past six games in Phoenix, including the 2008 playoff loss, and have not won there since 2001. Projected record: 9-6
Week 17: Monday, Dec. 29, vs. Rams, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
The pick: With their playoffs hopes on the line, the Falcons, with their newfound pass rush, get to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and upset Los Angeles. Edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. have three sacks each, and running back Bijan Robinson runs for 213 yards and three scores. Projected record: 10-6
Week 18: TBD, vs. Saints
The pick: Beat the Saints and go to the playoffs. Saints will put up a fight, but by halftime they’ll be thinking about their trips to Cancun. Projected record: 11-6
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