4 Games the Atlanta Falcons can't afford to lose in the 2023 season

1. Week Five Houston Texans vs. Atlanta Falcons

This is a week after the Falcons travel to London to take on the Jaguars in what could be a bit of a letdown game. Houston isn't a playoff contender or anything close to it, however, they will also be far more competitive than they have been since Deshaun Watson left the team.

C.J. Stroud was the right decision for this franchise but needs at least a season or two to have more talent put around him and settle into a tough AFC. The Falcons can't drop this game after playing the Lions and Jaguars in back-to-back weeks on the road (both games they could drop) Atlanta will need this game to feel confident moving deeper into the season.

You can't drop a home game to arguably the worst team on your schedule if you're a division contender. While there are outliers like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs losing to Matt Ryan's Colts last season the Falcons don't have that margin of error.

This is a team that is going to be playing a lot of close games and when you have a clearly inferior roster you can't afford to drop them.