Getty A reflection of the Atlanta Falcons bench.
The Atlanta Falcons 2020 schedule was released last Thursday and it’s not looking like an easy road. The Falcons are tied for one of the toughest schedules in the league.
The Falcons will face better roster across the NFC South but also top quarterbacks throughout the AFC West and NFC North divisions.
ESPN gave its expert opinion on what lies ahead for the Falcons in 2020.
The Falcons have a tough start out the gates in facing the Seahawks, Cowboys and Packers in the first four weeks. Both Seattle and Green Bay made the playoffs last season, and defending Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Aaron Rodgers will be a tall task for the rebuilt Falcons’ defense.
Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure has a final prediction for Atlanta this season with a 9-7 record.
Game-By -Game Prediction
Here is McClure’s game-by-game prediction:
Sept. 13: vs. Seahawks, Win
Sept. 20: at Cowboys, Loss
Sept. 27: vs. Bears, Win
Oct. 5: at Packers, Loss
Oct. 11: vs. Panthers, Win
Oct. 18: at Vikings, Loss
Oct. 25: vs. Lions, Win
Oct. 29: at Panthers, Win
Nov. 8: vs. Broncos, Win
Nov. 15: BYE
Nov. 22: at Saints, Loss
Nov. 29: vs. Raiders, Win
Dec. 6: vs. Saints, Loss
Dec. 13: at Chargers, Win
Dec. 20: vs Buccaneers, Win
Dec. 27: at Chiefs, Loss
Jan. 3: at Buccaneers, Loss
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Falcons Rebuilt Defense
McClure emphasized that Rodgers and the other quarterbacks will be facing Atlanta’s new defense. He’s right.
Everyone seems to be basing their predictions off of last season and I know Atlanta says this over and over that this is their season, but this is really their season. They made some big changes this offseason. It even came down to letting promising players walk and replacing them with new, fresh ones.
The Falcons totally rebuilt their defense in the draft by adding cornerback A.J. Terrell, defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, linebacker Mykal Walker, and safety Jaylinn Hawkins. They also acquired a dynamite defensive end, Dante Fowler, in early free agency.
Each of these players is bringing a lot of much-needed talent that the Falcons haven’t seen in two consecutive seasons.
Tough Test Right Out of the Gate
That’s right, the first four games will be tough. The Falcons will get tested when Seahawks arrive in Atlanta for game one. The harder test will be the following week when the Falcons face the Cowboys on Dallas turf. It’ll be vital for the Falcons to come out of the gate early on this season if they want to defeat the divisional champs, unlike last season when they decided to make progress during the final eight games.
The ending gets pretty rough. The Falcons will play Tom Brady at home and then the reigning Super Bowl champs away and end with meeting Tom Brady again in Tampa.
The Chiefs are practically the same team as they were last season and already predicted to have another Super Bowl bid. Brady could be beatable if the team pulls what the Patriots did last season and solely relies on Brady to win games.
Falcons’ team captain, Ricardo Allen share his final thoughts with McClure.
“We’ve got a fight already ahead of ourselves, Allen said. This is not going to be an easy walk in the park for a season at all. I’ve never played down there. I know Pat [Mahomes]. He’s good. He can get it done. So, we better be ready.”
Ultimately, if the Falcons want to make the playoffs then they’ll need to aim for at least 10 wins.
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