Atlanta Falcons: Three MUST WIN games in 2021 if they are reloading

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Jan 28, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA: AFC helmets of the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns on display at the Super Bowl LIII Experience at the Georgia World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

There have been a lot of thoughts in regards to the 2021 Atlanta Falcons schedule – opinions ranging from the horrible timing of the bye-week, the lack of prime time games, and having to play in London are among the most discussed.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and new head coach Arthur Smith have both said that they have no business rebuilding and feel like the franchise is simply reloading and can win now.

While the fan base would certainly love that, we are all in a wait-and-see mode as we have been burned far too many times over the course of becoming a Falcons fan. That said, there are three games that the Atlanta Falcons have to win in 2021 if they are going to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Week 1 – Philadelphia Eagles

The Atlanta Falcons have not won an opening season game since beating the Bears in week one back in 2017. The last time the franchise won a week one matchup was in 2015 when the Eagles came to the Georgia Dome.

2015 was Dan Quinn’s first season in Atlanta and they started out 5-0 only to finish the season with eight wins and eight losses.

This is a game that the Atlanta Falcons should be confident in. The Eagles aren’t going to be anything special on offense – especially with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback. While he can definitely hurt you with his legs, he is among the worst passing quarterbacks in the NFL

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees will bring pressure from every conceivable angle and will have Hurts twisted around before the middle of the first quarter.

Offensively, the Atlanta Falcons will run out more talent than the Eagles can stop and this game will set the tone for Arthur Smith, Matt Ryan, Mike Davis, and Kyle Pitts. They have the talent to put up 50 points in this game if they are able to find chemistry during the preseason.

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