Atlanta Falcons will be the surprise of the 2020 NFL Season

There’s no question that the Atlanta Falcons have a very difficult schedule ahead of them in 2020. There are very few “easy” games on the schedule if such a thing even exists in the NFL.

This doesn’t mean the Atlanta Falcons will have a bad season, however, just the opposite.

Sure, on paper, the strength of the schedule looks like it makes it virtually impossible for the Atlanta Falcons to reach the playoffs or find any sort of success this season, but it isn’t far fetched to think that a team with as much talent as the Atlanta Falcons could end up being one of the bigger surprises in the league this upcoming season.

The beginning of the season will certainly be a challenge for the Atlanta Falcons, with the first opponent of the season being the Seattle Seahawks. This will more than likely be another classic addition to the long and exciting Falcons vs Seahawks rivalry that has formed over the years since Russell Wilson joined the Seahawks in 2012.

It will be a very important matchup for both teams and could decide playoff seeding down the line. The Falcons will win this game behind the arm of Matt Ryan and the rejuvenated offense.

The next two games feature the Atlanta Falcons squaring off against the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. While the Bears have a scary defense, the offense is nothing to be afraid of at all. They won’t be able to score with the Falcons.

The Cowboys have been way too inconsistent on both sides of the ball for a number of years now to put fear into anyone, and the Atlanta Falcons will win this game by utilizing their offensive weapons and putting pressure on Dat Prescott.

With a 3-0 record to start the season, the team is sitting pretty, that is until they travel to Green Bay, where they will lose their first game of the season. The Atlanta Falcons have dismantled the Packers in Atlanta, but have had trouble winning in Green Bay and that is why they will lose this game.

Over the next five games, the Atlanta Falcons will go 4-1, with two wins against the Carolina Panthers, and wins over the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions. Unfortunately, it is hard to see the Falcons beating the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota, especially since the Vikings have had the Atlanta Falcons number for a while now.

The Atlanta Falcons then come off their bye week to visit the Saints in New Orleans, where the team will lose their third game of the season. The Atlanta Falcons will then beat up on the Las Vegas Raiders, avenge their loss to the Saints in New Orleans by winning the second matchup in Atlanta, and then they will secure a win in Los Angeles against the Chargers.

That puts the Atlanta Falcons at 10-3, where they will go home to welcome Tampa Bay. The Atlanta Falcons will win, but they will finish the regular season on a bit of a slide, losing at Kansas City and at Tampa.

That puts the overall team record at 11-5. It is a difficult schedule for sure, but one that isn’t impossible. This is a very manageable record if the team plays up to their capabilities and starts off the season hot. It is possible that the team could lose to Seattle in their home opener or get swept by Tampa Bay or New Orleans.

This is possible but the Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs last year at 9-7. If the Atlanta Falcons can finish the season with a 9-7, 10-6, or 11-5 record, then it could be a very successful season for the organization.

The only thing that could hinder this season is another slow start, but it is hard to imagine that this could happen for the third straight season. With a proposed double-digit win season, the Atlanta Falcons very well could be the surprise of the NFL in 2020, just like they were in 2016.