After weeks of hyping up the 2023 schedule release, the NFL finally unveiled the full regular-season slate on Thursday evening. The Falcons will kick things off at home against the NFC South-rival Carolina Panthers and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Atlanta spent serious money to upgrade the roster over the offseason and the team should make a real push for the playoffs in the third year under head coach Arthur Smith. Here are six quick takeaways from the 2023 schedule release.
Falcons will face top 3 rookie QBs
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In Week 1, Young comes to Atlanta, and since the Falcons are taking on the AFC South, they should also get to see Texans quarterback CJ Stroud and Colts QB Anthony Richardson. Plus, there’s a chance the Titans will start second-round pick Will Levis when Atlanta visits Tennessee in Week 8. While Young, Stroud and Richardson each have bright futures, Falcons first-round pick Bijan Robinson should be the biggest difference-maker of the 2023 draft class in Year 1.
BYE in Week 11
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
You never want your bye week to come too early, and you don’t want it too late in the season, either. Considering the NFL expanded to a 17-game season a few years ago, Week 11 is a pretty good spot for a bye. The Falcons have a tough three-game stretch that ends with a road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. Getting the bye week here will give the team a chance to rest up before a home game against the Saints in Week 12.
Toughest Game: Week 13 vs. the Jets
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The Jets have been building a very good all-around team under head coach Robert Saleh, and now they’ve swapped out an underachieving quarterback with a big ego for a four-time NFL MVP with an even bigger ego. All jokes aside, Rodgers can still play at a high level. With a defense full of playmakers, this Week 13 road matchup against the Jets is probably the toughest on Atlanta’s entire schedule.
Weeks 1-8 are all winnable
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Jordan Love, Sam Howell, Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Baker Mayfield are some of the quarterbacks Atlanta will see in Weeks 1-8. Now, there’s obviously more to this game than QB play, but it’s better to face a rookie than to go up against Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow or Matthew Stafford. The Lions and Jaguars in Weeks 3 and 4 won’t be easy games. However, every other game during this stretch is against a team that was .500 or below last season.
Most-anticipated game: Week 18 at Saints
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Not only is this yet another chance to end the season with a win over the Saints in front of their home fans, it’s one of two games on the schedule with a chance to be flexed. The Saints brought in former Raiders QB Derek Carr to reunite with head coach Dennis Allen — who could be on his last legs if things don’t work out this season. Atlanta also poached Saints co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen from New Orleans over the offseason. In what should be another close divisional race, this late-season matchup could have playoff implications.
No Games in Prime Time?
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The Falcons haven’t been good in recent years, but they haven’t been terrible, either. After posting back-to-back 7-10 seasons, it appears the team will get snubbed from prime time in 2023. Nearly all of Atlanta’s games are at 1:00 pm ET. As mentioned above, it’s still possible that the NFL could flex the Week 18 matchup against the Saints, or the Week 15 game against the Panthers (both listed as TBD on the schedule). Finding early-season success would definitely help the Falcons’ odds of getting a late-season flex.
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Story originally appeared on Falcons Wire