Even though we are still 4 months away from the 2013 season getting underwait’s never too early to predict how well the Atlanta Falcons will do next year starting with the first half of the season.

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

The dirty birds begin their 2013 season on the road and even more interesting, against the rival Saints. Sean Payton will be returning to coach the Saints making this game a little bit unpredictable. I see both teams playing to prove they’re the top dog in the NFC South but this will be the first game back after a very disappointing loss last year in the NFC Championship game for Atlanta. So I have to give the edge to the Falcons it will be a fun game to watch but I think Atlanta takes it 28-24 WIN

St. Louis Rams @ Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta will get their home opener in week 2 but whats more important than that is they will raise their NFC South Championship banner before the game. The biggest story however will be Steven Jackson playing against his former team. Look for Jackson to have a huge impact in this game even though it wasn’t a messy break for either side Steven Jackson will work extra hard in this game to beat his former team. Atlanta will have a strong game against the Rams taking the victory 27-13. WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins

Miami has made a ton of noise this offseason and has really improved their roster. The experience of Matt Ryan will be the difference maker in this game though if you ask me. I do see Mike Wallace having a big game though which will make it close but Atlanta wins 24-17 WIN

New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons

Prime time begins in week 4 against the always dangerous Patriots.Tom Brady vs Matt Ryan, Present vs Future. A huge game for the Falcons and if Atlanta wants to win they are going to have to have a great game offensively. Atlanta wont win this game if they don’t pressure Brady and I don’t see this happening therefore I have to give this game to New England 31-21 LOSS

New York Jets @ Atlanta Falcons

Back to back home games meet back to back prime time game for the Georgia Dome in week 5. Jets are a somewhat broken team and they have to come across an Atlanta team who just played one of the best teams in the NFL a week earlier. It all spells out a butt whooping for the Jets. I see this being the game that pushes Sanchez out as the starter we might even see Geno at some point in this game but it will be all about Atlanta winning 31-10. WIN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

This is a game I could have seen being harder to pick if the circumstances were not so much in the Dirty Birds Favor. Atlanta will play this game in week 7 following their bye week, t will also be 4 weeks since the team has had to travel away from the Georgia Dome. It makes this game a no brainer, Atlanta will show their dominance even if the “good” Buccaneers team shows up for this one. The Falcons take control early and finish strong beating the Bucs 27-17 WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals

The Falcons take flight after a month at home to take on the Cardinals. Matt Ryan had his worst two games last season against the Cardinals and against Carson Palmer.Now that the two are together this does seem to be trouble for the Falcons but I think Matt Ryan makes adjustments and has a better game. I do see a close game here even though the Cardinals are nowhere near as good as Atlanta but I am gonna give Atlanta the fourth quarter victory    24-20. WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

Atlanta will travel back east for back to back road games to finish the first half of the season. Cam Newton played great against the Falcons last year but Atlanta has spent time learning how to stop running QB’s this offseason, It all comes down to stopping Cam in this one. Matt will put up points but if Cam has his way with our defense again this year it is his game to win. I have to go with my gut and say the research in the offseason pays off enough to get the ‘W’ 28-24. WIN

The Atlanta Falcons have obviously a tougher schedule then last year but they are still arguably more talented than every team they face this season. I think every game will come down to the Falcons winning or the Falcons letting other teams beat them. No team in the first half of the season should be able to beat Atlanta if they play to their potential. At worst see a 5-3 record after 8 games but definitely there is the chance we see another 8-0 record this season. Only time will tell though.

November 11, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Falcons 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

As we all know, the Falcons regular season schedule was released last night.  I will add my two cents (along with every single blogger on every single Atlanta sports site on Earth).  But I don’t want to talk about strength of schedule or how each match up is going to go.  I want to talk best and worst case scenarios.  Yesterday I made the best and worst case scenario of what the Falcons schedule could be, but now we know what it is.

Some things you have to take into consideration when looking at the Falcons is that they don’t lose twice.  I heard an old saying that great teams don’t lose twice in a row.  Even when stacked with two back to back tough games, the falcons rarely lose twice in a row.  I think that sticks this season.  Regardless of what their record is, they won’t lose back to back.

Streaks are everything.  Sometimes the Falcons can get going on a nice streak and use the momentum to boost themselves into winning a game they probably shouldn’t have won.  A two game streak helped give Atlanta a boost going against New Orleans at home last season.  There are plenty of opportunities this coming season that could help Atlanta win over a tough team.

On the off chance you haven’t seen the schedule yet, here it is:

Week 1: @ New Orleans

Week 2: St. Louis

Week 3: @Miami

Week 4: New England

Week 5: N.Y. Jets

Week 6: BYE

Week 7: Tampa Bay

Week 8: @ Arizona

Week 9: @ Carolina

Week 10: @ Tampa Bay

Week 11: Seattle

Week 12: New Orleans

Week 13: @Buffalo

Week 14: @ Green Bay

Week 15: Washington

Week 16: @ San Francisco

Week 17: Carolina

Looking at this schedule, there are things to get excited about, and things to be worried about.  Opening the season in New Orleans isn’t going to be a joy ride and that game may have a huge impact on the early part of the season.  If they pull out a win then, they could be on a three-game win streak when hosting New England.  That could be huge.  What happens in week 1 could be the difference in going into the BYE week 5-0 or 3-2 and two losses will weigh heavy later in the year.

They also need to play well against Tampa (which they usually do at home not including last year) because that’s the last home game before embarking on a three week trip to Arizona, Carolina, and back to Tampa bay.  None of those are easy wins and they need to win most of them to keep up strong momentum.  But if they do, then a win streak could also help in coming home to play Seattle and New Orleans.  Considering those games are back to back, I can almost guarantee you that the Falcons won’t lose both of them.

Then it gets fun.  December rolls around and we’re going north.  Playing Buffalo shouldn’t be a factor considering it’s in a roofed stadium in Toronto, but the following week could be a very tough game against Green Bay in cold, COLD, weather. At least a home game against Washington and a most likely banged up Robert Griffin III should get them back on their feet before heading over to San Francisco for what could very well be a make-it-or-break-it game for one or both teams.  Finishing the season at home against Carolina may be just what we need.

After looking over the schedule and what professional pickers are choosing (I take their opinion with a grain of salt considering how little they actually know about the falcons minus raw statistics) I can predict the best and worst-case scenarios for the season.

Worst-case Scenario: 8-8.  A lot of tough games and if they drop some important early games, the rest of the season could dismantle them.

Best-case Scenario: 13-3. The schedule is tougher than the falcons are better next year, but you can’t count the Falcons out ever.  If the team stays healthy and gets those improbable wins at the most opportune times, the Falcons could use streaks and a powerful team to move into a first round BYE of the Playoffs.

Most Likely: 10-6.  The Falcons can beat anyone, but you can’t expect them to with this many great teams.  They could also easily go 11-5, but with a tough schedule and a few injuries here and there, the Falcons are going to have to play lights out at the end of the season because they’ll most likely be fighting for a playoff spot.

I still believe there are great things to come and if they can keep winning like they did last season, they could surprise us all.  How do you think they will do this season?

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons fans wave flags during the NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Today the long awaited full schedule times will be released for the Atlanta Falcons! Today we’ll be able to start planning our trips and vacations in the fall and winter, but before then, let’s theorize what it could be.  The schedule may very well make or break the falcons this year so I’ll let you know the best and worse possibilities.  I wanted to theorize a couple days ago, but due to end-of-class busy work, I was unable to post this until today.

First, let’s look at the teams we’ll be playing this year.

HOME:

Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Seattle, New England, N.Y. Jets, Washington

AWAY:

Carolina, New Orleans, Tamp Bay, Arizona, San Francisco, Buffalo, Miami, Green Bay

It’s safe to say the falcons have a considerably more difficult schedule this coming up year than last year.  5 of the upcoming opponents were in the playoffs last year as opposed to only 2 last season.  There are tough road games and tough opponents coming to the Dome to test the Falcon’s home strength.  First, let’s look at the worst possible case scenario in my opinion.

Week 1: @San Fransisco

Week 2: @New Orleans

Week 3: Washington

Week 4: @Miami

Week 5: BYE

Week 6: Seattle

Week 7: Carolina

Week 8: @Tampa Bay

Week 9: @ Arizona

Week 10: New Orleans

Week 11: St. Louis

Week 12: @Carolina

Week 13: N.Y. Jets

Week 14: New England

Week 15: @Buffalo

Week 16: Tampa Bay

Week 17: @Green Bay

This Schedule is horrendous.  Opening the season in San Francisco without having much film to beat a very potent Offense and Defense won’t give Atlanta a very good start.  Immediately following a road game to New Orleans would probably put Atlanta in a 0-2 hole and demoralized. Washington may be able to pull an upset over a falling team in the Dome. An Early Bye doesn’t give them an effective rest for a long hard uphill season especially starting out against Seattle. Atlanta would win a few more games, but a bleeding team playing New England at home would spell disaster.  Following that with a very cold match up with Buffalo and a season finale against Green Bay in January won’t leave very much optimism going into the offseason.

Best case scenario: 11-5

Worst Case scenario: 7-9

But I love to be Optimistic, so let’s look at the best case scenario

Week 1: St. Louis

Week 2: @ Green Bay

Week 3: @ Arizona

Week 4: Carolina

Week 5: Seattle

Week 6: @Tampa Bay

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: @ San Francisco

Week 9: New Orleans

Week 10:  @ Buffalo

Week 11: @ Carolina

Week 12: New England

Week 13: @ New Orleans

Week 14: N.Y. Jets

Week 15: Tampa Bay

Week 16: @ Miami

Week 17: Washington

This is a great schedule.  Starting off with a home opener against Steven Jackson’s old team should prove a fun match up. Following an early and warm Green Bay game, the strong and fearless Falcons soar to 2-0 with Arizona and Carolina on the radar.  Going into the Seattle game at 4-0 should prove an advantage. Coming off an entire week to prepare and possibly being undefeated to go to San Francisco with plenty of enough tape would be great for the falcons, boosting amazing amounts of confidence and recognition, something very valuable when playing New Orleans in the Dome the following week.  Coming out of a great first half, facing the Patriots at home should be a challenge, but a challenge the possibly already 10 win team welcomes. Several late home games and a trip to the always beautiful Miami should land the Falcons with a first round BYE into the postseason.

Worst Case Scenario: 9-7

Best Case Scenario: 14-2 (I may be a dreamer, but given that schedule and an improved team with many smart offseason moves, this is certainly a possibility).

I’ll compare these best and worst case scenarios with the schedule released later tonight and release my analysis tomorrow.

Enjoy!