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We’ve known this team’s opponents for a while, but it’s only now that we’ve learned what the full 2017 Falcons schedule looks like. The Falcons landed a total of five primetime games, which is fitting for a team that is fresh off a Super Bowl berth.
All eyes will be on the divisional matchups, the road Seahawks game (always a huge challenge), and the Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots. If the Falcons come out of those eight games with a winning record, they’ll be in excellent shape against the rest of the slate, which is not overly difficult.
2017 Atlanta Falcons schedule
Week 1: @ Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., September 10, FOX
Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:30 p.m., September 17, NBC
Week 3: @ Detroit Lions, 1 p.m., September 24, FOX
Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m., October 1, CBS
Week 5: Bye Week
Week 6: Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., October 15, CBS
Week 7: @ New England Patriots, 8:30 p.m., October 22, NBC
Week 8: @ New York Jets, 1 p.m., October 29, FOX
Week 9: @ Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., November 5, FOX
Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., November 12, FOX
Week 11: @Seattle Seahawks, 8:30 p.m., November 20, ESPN
Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., November 26, FOX
Week 13: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., December 3, FOX
Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints, 8:25 p.m., December 7, NBC/NFL Network
Week 15: @Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:30 p.m., December 18, ESPN
Week 16: @New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., December 24, FOX
Week 17: Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., December 31, FOX
As predicted, this is a reasonably tough schedule, but one that doesn’t look nearly as intimidating on first blush as the team’s 2016 schedule did.
We’ll have more analysis on the slate in the hours and days ahead, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, give us your early impression of the new schedule. Here’s some more key info for you!
Strength Schedule
#13, 133.5-122.5 2016 record, .521 win percentage
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: Miami Dolphins
Week 2: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 3: Arizona Cardinals
Week 4: Jacksonville Jaguars