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A season-long nightmare has officially come to and end. The Atlanta Falcons finished 4-12, in a season where they not only fired their head coach but also their general manager after starting 0-5. The team also finished fourth in the NFC South.
On Sunday, the Falcons fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which finalized the opponents they will face in 2021.
2021 Home opponents:
- Carolina Panthers
- Detroit Lions
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Washington Football Team
2021 Away opponents:
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although we won’t know the official schedule until sometime in April, we at least know who the Falcons will be hosting and who they will be traveling to face in 2021. Outside of their division, the team will play the AFC East and NFC East, which isn’t necessarily terrifying by 2020 standards but will feature some challenging matchups against the likes of the Bills and Dolphins. It’s too early for predictions, but I feel reasonably good about this schedule overall. We’ll see how our own division shakes up, as the Carolina Panthers will have a top draft pick, Drew Brees may possibly retire and...well, who knows what the Buccaneers will do this offseason.
It bears mentioning that the NFL has reportedly discussed adding a 17th game to team schedules starting in 2021. It hasn’t been confirmed by the NFL as of yet, but it’s something to monitor this offseason and per NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Falcons would face the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. Whether that actually happens is to be determined.