5 Games Atlanta Falcons fans should have their eye on ahead of schedule release

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings

It wouldn't be surprising to see the NFL opt to slot this game into the first week of the schedule. Making Kirk Cousins have his Falcons debut against his old team would be theater for a league that does a nice job of timing out the best stories of the season.

Consider last year's opener of the Lions vs. Chiefs and the tone it set for both teams the rest of the way. The Vikings have McCarthy and Darnold as their options at starting quarterback but still cannot be overlooked on Atlanta's schedule. The Falcons were beaten by this same team with Josh Dobbs at quarterback last season.

It should be an emotional week for Kirk Cousins with a myriad of distractions. The earlier that the Falcons can get past this the better for Cousins and the rest of the roster. Aside from the Cousins storyline you also have a trip to Minnesota that is going to be tough dependent on when they are scheduled to make the trip.

This is a game to circle based on Cousins, the weather, and it being a game Atlanta needs to win. Atlanta cannot afford to drop this game as they did last season.