5 Games the Atlanta Falcons can't afford to drop after schedule release

2. Atlanta cannot lose to the Carolina Panthers in 2024

The worst team on Atlanta's schedule appears to be the Carolina Panthers. Both games come in key spots that can help the Falcons in a playoff race. The layout of Atlanta's schedule especially to start the year is far more brutal than expected. It stacks a lot of Atlanta's toughest matchups together instead of spreading them out throughout the season as hoped.

However, the path to making the playoffs and winning double-digit games is very much still there. This starts with winning both games against the Panthers. While they may appear to be boring on the schedule they are key to the fate of the season as we saw last year.

The Falcons were fighting for a playoff spot with Desmond Ridder and Arthur Smith when they dropped a game to Carolina that sealed the fate of the season. Atlanta might have upgraded both positions this offseason but drop a game to Carolina again and the result could be the same. Atlanta cannot afford to lose to a team that should be in the basement of the NFC if they are serious about their playoff hopes.