Atlanta Falcons strength of schedule ranked ahead of schedule release

The NFL released their strength of schedule rankings, rankings that find the Atlanta Falcons ranked with the 9th most challenging schedule in the league. The Rams and Cardinals finished first and second with the Bengals, Buccaneers,49ers, Chiefs, Raiders, Saints, Falcons, and Chargers filling out the rest of the top-ten.

Atlanta stands out among the top ten as the one team with no postseason expectations. Even the Raiders and Saints have postseason hopes after reloading during the off-season. Atlanta is the one team in the top ten that doesn’t have a clear answer at the quarterback position and will likely be fighting for a top-ten pick in next year’s draft.

Atlanta will play the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Rams, Chargers, Cardinals, 49ers, and Tom Brady’s Bucs  (twice) a brutal slate for a team ill-equipped to take on the best teams in the league. The schedule rankings and today’s schedule release are all reminders that this Atlanta team is in for a very long season.

One that could see Atlanta land the top pick in the draft, not due to tanking but simply because it is hard to find one team on their schedule they will have an advantage against. The Bears and Seahawks are the only teams on Atlanta’s schedule they could be favored against. Carolina and New Orleans both have made off-season moves to improve last year’s issues and look to be better rosters than Atlanta.

The Falcons are in for a long season, one that will be defined not by their record but by player development and finding out whether or not Desmond Ridder is the next franchise quarterback. Any wins Atlanta manages to find this season should be savored by a fan base that is going to be forced to go through a painful season as the front office resets the franchise and already has turned their attention to the 2023 season.