Atlanta Falcons should’ve fought back against playing game in London
The Atlanta Falcons are heading into the 2021 season hoping to be major competitors after a disappointing few runs in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
They won’t have any help when it comes to scheduling, though.
The Falcons announced earlier this week that they will play a game in London as the NFL International Series is set to return this fall and they have been designated as the home team.
Atlanta Falcons should’ve fought back against playing game in London
Going to London is a cool experience and there’s definitely a contingent of football fans over there who want to go to the games and see the product in-person.
That being said, with the NFL’s new 17-game schedule for 2021, the Falcons will now play two less home games than most of the league.
The 17th game added to the Falcons’ schedule is a road tilt against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, the Falcons will use one of their home games to travel to London rather than having the matchup in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of a home crowd.
It’s not necessarily a decision that the franchise gets to make, but they absolutely should’ve pushed back on the notion when the league presented it. Now, in a 17-game schedule, the Falcons will play just seven games in Atlanta.
Not only is it disappointing for the franchise – which is coming off a year where it could only welcome limited capacity into the stadium- financially, but it is also disappointing for home fans who were wanting to see the Falcons in-person after a year of not having that opportunity.
The talent gap in the NFL is much smaller than most understand and the slightest advantage- like playing a home game- can be the difference between a win and a loss.
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The Falcons lost nine games last year by a possession or less and in a year where they’re trying to make a comeback, this will be yet another hurdle for them to climb.