Atlanta Falcons opponents for the 2020 season have been set

The time has come for the Atlanta Falcons to put 2019 behind them and look ahead at who they are playing in 2020.

Going into the bye week, the Atlanta Falcons were in the place of the NFC South by multiple games and it seemed as if that’s where they would stay. Thus giving the Atlanta Falcons a fourth-place schedule in 2020 that would include traveling to Washington to play the Redskins and having Arizona come to Atlanta.

The Falcons had other plans.

Atlanta went into the Week 17 matchup against Tampa battling for the second-place spot in the division. The Falcons took care of Tampa thanks to a pick-six in overtime by Deion Jones on the very first play.

Thus giving Jameis Winston that elusive 30 for 30 title. 33 touchdowns to 30 interceptions. The first time ever has this been accomplished.

While the schedule itself has yet to be made, here is the list of opponents the Atlanta Falcons will face in 2020.

2020 Opponents

Home:

• Saints  (13-3)
• Panthers  (5-11)
• Buccaneers  (7-9)
• Lions  (3-12-1)
• Bears  (8-8)
• Broncos  (7-9)
• Raiders  (7-9)
• Seahawks  (11-5)

Away:

• Saints
• Panthers
• Buccaneers
• Vikings  (10-6)
• Packers  (13-3)
• Chiefs  (12-4)
• Chargers  (5-11)
• Dallas  (8-8)

While having to play Kansas City, Green Bay, Seattle and of course New Orleans twice, this makes the schedule seen more daunting than what it actually is. The Falcons split the series with New Orleans, almost beat Seattle with a backup quarterback, and Green Bay isn’t as good as their record tells.

On the other hand, the matchup with Kansas City will prove to be most daunting if it is played during the months of November or December due to the weather. You could say the same about Green Bay, however that matchup is more closely aligned to the Atlanta Falcons skill sets.

The Vikings could also be a wildcard. They got off to a hot start in 2019 but their hype faded a bit towards the back end of the season.

It’s worth noting that the Atlanta Falcons will essentially lose a home game as the Falcons are forced to play abroad for the first time since 2014. The actual destination has yet to be announced, however, it seems like a safe bet that the Falcons will be one of the teams traveling to London.

Playing in London will have some benefit if it is against either Las Vegas or Denver. This is mainly due to the time difference and length of travel that will be involved.

Most importantly, it would not be beneficial to the team to lose a “home game” against a division rival, especially if the opponent is New Orleans.

Above all, it is not too far fetched to see this team go anywhere between 10-6 and 12-4. The Falcons play 10 games where the opponent finished .500 or less. However, the Atlanta Falcons have only managed 12 or more wins in a season only twice since 1998.