Atlanta Falcons: The guaranteed wins & losses on 2021 schedule

The Atlanta Falcons are looking to rebound during the 2021 season after an abysmal year that saw them muster just a 4-12 record in 2020.

The Falcons selected TE Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and many believe that Pitts could one day become an NFL Hall of Famer before it’s all said and done. With Pitts added to the roster, the Atlanta Falcons are expected to have one of the more prolific offenses in the league.

The Falcons’ full 2021 schedule was released Wednesday night and we now know how the games will line up.

The guaranteed wins and loss for the Atlanta Falcons on the 2021 schedule

If you’ve been following this franchise for any amount of time- and we know that most reading this have followed Atlanta for decades- you know that nothing is a guarantee when it comes to the Falcons.

This is a franchise that has made an identity for losing games that it’s not supposed to and then coming back and winning a game that they were discounted in.

So, selecting anything as a guarantee is difficult. That being said, we’re going to look at this through the lens of games the Falcons will be heavily favored in and games they’ll be the heavy underdog as a platform to start this list.

The guaranteed wins:

• vs. Eagles
• vs. Jets
• vs. Panthers
• @ Jaguars
• vs. Lions

The guaranteed losses:

• @ Buccaneers
• @ Saints
• vs. Buccaneers
• @ Bills

Toss-ups: 

• @ Giants
• vs. Washington Football Team
• @ Dolphins
• @ Cowboys
• @ 49ers
• vs. Patriots
• @ Panthers
• vs. Saints

Perhaps I’m too optimistic, but it’s the offseason and we want to give some hope rather than just being negative all the time.

As we said earlier, nothing is a ‘guarantee,’ but there are five games on the schedule that seem almost like locks for the Falcons to win. Even if they trade a ‘guaranteed win’ and lose, but come back and win one of those ‘guaranteed loss’ games- which can also happen- the Falcons would have five wins with seven ‘toss-up’ games.

If you win the ones you’re supposed to and find a way to have a winning record in the toss-up games- and maybe putting the Saints or Patriots (but they’re at home) in as a toss-up game is too generous- you finish with nine wins and are right in the mix for a playoff spot.

If we were looking at these games strictly from a quick wins and loss perspective, we’re like picking Atlanta to win somewhere in the ballpark of eight. Maybe that’s crazy and far too generous, but there’s something about this team that has me thinking they could exceed expectations.

What do you think, Atlanta Falcons fans? The best way to do this is just to give your first reaction between a win and a loss. If you think about it, we’d put it in the middle under ‘toss-ups.’