Atlanta Falcons Schedule Provides Some Holiday Treats

We are more or less six months away from Christmas, but who’s counting. And if you aren’t that’s fine, but a closer gander at the Atlanta Falcons schedule shows you could at least start.

The Falcons holiday schedule is a gift. Never mind the fact the Saints will roll into town on Thanksgiving night, giving the Dirty Birds a chance to avenge last season’s Turkey Day debacle. But let’s go a little deeper into the schedule.

Christmas isn’t pigeon holed to one day, it’s a season. 25 days or something like that. And on December 22, three days before wrapping paper is brutalized by everyone, the Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here in Atlanta.

Who cares, it’s the Jags, the Falcons play them in meaningless preseason games seemingly every year. (Fun fact: They meetup again this year in week four of the preseason.)

But come week 16 of this year, not only will this game actually mean something, it’s also the first time Matt Ryan will get to play against Jalen Ramsey. A perfect late season, holiday gift.

Sure, the Falcons will see Richard Sherman and Marshon Lattimore and Xavier Rhodes and Patrick Peterson. But none of them have been as brash as the former- cue Mr. Ramsey.

Remember, last year when Ramsey, in a GQ interview, called Matty Ice overrated? Claimed the year after his MVP season, Matt became a “complete bust”? (Keep in mind Ryan threw for more than 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns that year)

"I think Matt Ryan’s overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year, you a complete bust, and you still got Julio Jones? There’s no way that should ever happen. I don’t care. You know what that tells me? That tells me [Offensive Coordinator Kyle] Shanahan left, went to San Francisco, got Garoppolo, made Garoppolo this big thing. And now Garoppolo is a big name—and now [Matt Ryan] has this bad year? Alright, well, was it really you, or was it your coach? He was doing what was asked of him and it was making him look really, really good."

Ramsey was then asked, you realize this could become bulletin board material. To that he responded, I don’t play them this year anyway. But now you do.

And while Ryan didn’t say much in response then, don’t expect him to this year either. If anything, he’s proven he will allow his play to do the talking.

Ramsey decided not to bash any quarterbacks this year because he’s “growing”, maybe he also realized it’s not best to pick on a former MVP, when you could end up in their cross hairs.

So when December rolls around, every Atlanta Falcons fan has at least one Christmas gift they can look forward to.