The Falcons begin this new exciting era under Raheem Morris with a tough start to the season.
They’ll host the Steelers this Sunday against a Mike Tomlin-coached team that has never finished a season with an under .500 record. Despite fielding some pitiful offenses, Pittsburgh continues to churn out positive seasons.
They do it behind excellent defenses and great coaching. The Falcons won’t have an easy go of it in Week 1, and to make matters worse, the schedule doesn’t lighten up.
The Falcons will then travel north to Philadelphia to battle the Eagles in their home opener, which is on Monday Night Football. An Eagles team coming off an impressive win over the Packers, traveling back home to play in front of a raucous Eagles crowd for the opener.
AND IT DOESN’T GET BETTER. Atlanta will then host the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who just looked the part of a three-peat on Thursday Night Football against the Ravens. Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and the rest of the Kansas City team will be the most difficult test for the Falcons all season.
That doesn’t even include Weeks 4 and 5 against the Saints and Buccaneers, respectively, two teams with playoff aspirations. Suffice to say, the Falcons have to get off to a fast start because the odds don’t favor Raheem Morris if the club starts 0-2 or worse… 0-3.
Since 2007, 131 teams have gone 0-2; 13 have rallied to make the playoffs. I don’t have to spell out how badly it would be for the Falcons’ postseason hopes if they lost to the Steelers and Eagles.
But if they lost to the Chiefs too… Dating back to 1990, just four of 158 teams to start 0-3 have made the postseason (2.5%). The Falcons have a tough start, and they have an easy finish, at least on paper.
The NFL is a game of inches, though. The Chiefs are the undisputed best team in football, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten. The Falcons have to avoid an 0-2 start, but more than anything, they have to avoid an 0-3 start.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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