How are we feeling about the newly released 2019 Falcons schedule? Let’s find out.

Dave Choate

Game I Can’t Wait For: vs. Rams, Week 7

Game I Dread: @Saints, Week 10

Irresponsibly Early Prediction: 9-7

I’m not ready to get overly excited about this team’s prospects until at least after the draft, but this schedule’s not going to fill me with dread. Having a bye right before a road game against the Saints is a good thing, given that those are almost always miserable slogs, but I relish the opportunity for the Falcons to play the NFC’s Super Bowl representative last year in a home game to see how far they’ve come. If the Falcons are healthy and their roster moves prove savvy, they’ll likely have a good season, with only that brutal late-in-the-year NFC South stretch and road games against the Eagles and Vikings really giving me pause.

Evan Birchfield

Game I Can’t Wait For: at. Vikings, Week 1

Game I Dread: vs. Saints, Week 13

Irresponsibly Early Prediction: 11-5

The NFL Schedule Release is another example of how powerful football is in this country. Fans around the country, including myself, stay glued to leaks/rumors leading up to the ultimate reveal. I’m very excited for the Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings solely because my dad who introduced me to the sport when I was 6 years old, is a lifelong Vikings fan. I love Thanksgiving, specifically for the food.. and now we all have to watch the Saints and Falcons for the second year in a row. I feel good that it’s in Atlanta, but surrounded by food and family, it’s not exactly a calming environment.

David Walker

Game I Can’t Wait For: vs. Eagles, Week 2

Game I Dread: vs. Saints, Week 13

Irresponsibly Early Prediction: 10-6

The Falcons have a perfectly placed bye week this year and an odd stretch of 5 straight division games right after it. This is the weirdness of the NFL schedule. I’m looking forward to that game against the Eagles because it’s about damn time we got to play a Pennsylvania team in Atlanta. Maybe we can actually win this one. I don’t “dread” facing the Saints on Thanksgiving per se, I just dread that a perfectly good holiday has the potential to turn into a stress-fest. The combination of tryptophan and nail-biters against the Saints could make for a very uneasy evening. That said, the overall schedule has the potential to play out nicely for this team. There could be some surprising losses (49ers as an example), but I don’t see a team that I consider an impossible win either.

Kevin Knight

Game I Can’t Wait For: vs. Saints, Week 13

Game I Dread: @Saints, Week 10

Irresponsibly Early Prediction: 10-6

This is a very interesting schedule for the Falcons. On the one hand, the opening slate is pretty brutal. The Vikings and Eagles both feature outstanding defenses that will give Atlanta’s new-look OL a phenomenal test. The Colts and Texans both showcase electric offenses that should tell us a lot about the Falcons’ defense in 2019. A home match-up with the Rams in Week 7 could either be a triumphant moment for an ascending team, or a look at how far we still have to go. Then after the bye its five straight division games, which I actually like. Having those games later in the season will hopefully lend itself to a Falcons’ offense that is firing on all cylinders after some adjustment time. Overall, a tough schedule that should still allow Atlanta to sneak into the playoffs at 10-6.

Cory Woodroof

Game I Can’t Wait For: Falcons vs. Eagles, Week 2

Game I Dread: Of course it’s the trip to New Orleans in Week 10

Irresponsible Early Prediction: 10-6

I’ve outlined my general thoughts on the schedule, so I’ll keep this brief. The Falcons have a gauntlet ahead, but it’s not unlike that 2016 schedule they managed just fine. It’s not about the fight; it’s about what you bring to it. The Falcons need not worry about how tough the road may be ahead. If they bring their A-game every week, they’ll always be competitive. I’m expecting anywhere from 9-7 to 11-5, so I’ll settle in 10-6. It’ll be a fascinating fall, full of possibility and pratfall in equal measure...so a typical season for the Atlanta Falcons.

Eric Robinson

Game I Can’t Wait For: vs. Rams, Week 7

Game I Dread: at Texans, Week 5

Irresponsible Early Prediction: 11-5

The start to the season for the Falcons will definitely be a tough one. The first five games include three playoffs teams and two teams in the Titans and Vikings who are gritty and are the type of teams that have punched the Falcons in the mouth before in the past. We truly are going to see how good and how much of a threat the Falcons are before their bye week in week nine. A home Thanksgiving contest against the (S)aints sounds like revenge on the mind for Dan Quinn and his group. A five-week stretch against division opponents after the bye week is interesting. If the Falcons are able to navigate to a 5-3 or 6-2 start to the season, this is a playoff team that will scare folks.