Week 1 will be the Falcons' most important game of the season

Winning week one is so important in the NFL. There are charts that say a team that starts 1-0 has over a 50% chance at making the postseason compared to less than a 30% chance if you lose week one.

For the Atlanta Falcons, winning week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers is exponentially more important because of what awaits them in the next two weeks. There are no two ways about it, winning on Sunday will go a long way in determining the fate of the Dirty Birds come January.

Falcons already face a must-win game in opening game

On paper, the Falcons will be the better team on the field in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. The Steelers have too many question marks, similar question marks to the Falcons last year.

However, as we all know, any team can beat any team at any moment. There are no games you can take lightly in this league (remember last year's game in Carolina?). Kirk Cousins and the rest of the team need to come out firing on all cylinders. They must leave no doubt in their mind about what they can do on the football field.

Losing week one immediately puts Raheem Morris' team in danger of going 0-3. They will then travel to Philadelphia in week two to play the Eagles and then host the Kansas City Chiefs at home on Sunday Night Football in week three. Those are two teams that will be favored over the Falcons.

Starting the season 0-3 will bring harsh consequences. Win in week one and you give yourself a small buffer for the succeeding weeks.

While we all believe that this team will win the NFC South, starting out winless through the first three weeks would jeopardize that goal and a postseason berth.