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If they hadn’t lost their last three games – and five of their last six – Atlanta might have clinched a playoff berth by now. The 2015 regular season is over, but since football never stops, here's a look at all 32 teams’ opponents for 2016. The Falcons led the game 28-3 into the third quarter before the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie at 28 all, and create the first Super Bowl game to go into overtime. The Patriots won the coin-toss and won the game via a James White touchdown. The Falcons defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36–20 in the Divisional Round to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2012. In the NFC Championship game, they defeated the Green Bay Packers, 44–21, to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; they had competed in Super Bowl XXXIII 18 years earlier.
After playing 198 games in the Georgia Dome, the 95th matchup between the Falcons and Saints will be the 199th and the final contest in a place the Birds have called home since 1992. This New Year's Day game will be the 48th meeting in the city of Atlanta and the 25th and final matchup in the Georgia Dome before the Falcons enter the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. Last season, the season finale featured a Falcons-Saints matchup in the Georgia Dome with the Saints sneaking away with a victory. The Falcons will come back home and try to improve on their six game winning streak against the San Diego Chargers in Week 7.
Atlanta Falcons Schedule
This will be the third matchup in the Georgia Dome – 10th overall meeting – between the two clubs and the first meeting in Atlanta since 2004, where the Falcons snuck away with a victory over the Chargers. The Falcons will head west once again in Week 5 to start their back-to-back west coast road trip. Atlanta will face the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos in the Mile-High City for the first time since 2004. The two teams last met in the Georgia Dome in 2012, where the Falcons came away with a victory, but the Broncos lead the all-time series 8-5. The Falcons will face the Panthers in the Georgia Dome for the final time in Week 4.
All 20 Falcons games can be heard on 92.9 The Game (92.9 FM), with Wes Durham and Dave Archer calling the action. The Falcons’ games have gone under the projected total in eight of 14 games. The Falcons are 2-5 on the road, while the Ravens are 4-2 at home. In their last five home games, however, the Ravens have averaged a mere 17 points per game.
Colts bench QB Matt Ryan, to start Nick Foles vs. Chargers
New Orleans' dreadful defense hasn't made significant improvements, while the team continues to rely on a rapidly aging Drew Brees . Tampa Bay, meanwhile, will need a big jump from signal-caller Jameis Winston in Year 2 to be a serious threat. The Panthers are the measuring stick for the Falcons, both in the division and the NFC as a whole, and how Atlanta performs against Carolina will go a long way toward bolstering its playoff credentials. The conference slate, however, shouldn't be all that daunting. But the New Orleans Saints look to be on the end of their competitive cycle, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be another year away from playoff contention. In February, Quinn identified turnover margin as one of the biggest factors playing into the team's potential for the upcoming season after it ranked 27th in the category, per ESPN.com.
The Falcons trailed midway through the first quarter when the Seahawks went up 7–0 from a 7-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Jimmy Graham. In the second quarter, Atlanta tied the game 7–7 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones. On the next Seattle drive, the Seahawks took a 10–7 lead with a 33-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka.
Game summaries
The Falcons visit North Carolina A&T in the season opener Sept. 3 and head to North Carolina Central Sept. 17. Two Division I teams are on the schedule for the first time ever. Saint Augustine’s University and A&T are squaring off for the first time since 1935. Saint Augustine's University and A&T are squaring off for the first time since 1935. Atlanta remained ahead for the rest of the game, eventually beating Seattle 36–20. Matt Ryan threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns and improved his playoff record to 2–4, with both of his playoff wins coming against the Seahawks.
The Falcons have won three of their last four meetings against the Cards, but Arizona still holds the all-time series 15-13. The Falcons first hosted the Buccaneers in the Georgia Dome during Week 9 in 1993, and they will host the Buccaneers in the Georgia Dome for the final time to kick off the 2016 season. Atlanta and Tampa have split the all-time series in the Dome 9-9, with Atlanta winning six of their last eight matchups at home. In 2015, the Bucs swept the season series against Atlanta for the first time since 2007. The Falcons were never expected to contend this season but are in the thick of what has been a dismal NFC South race.
Atlanta Falcons 2016 NFL schedule: Dates, game times, strength of schedule, and thoughts
This will be the sixth time in the last seven years and the 12th time overall these two have faced each other in the preseason. Atlanta won the last preseason matchup in 2014, 24-14, but Jacksonville owns a 7-4 advantage in the all-time preseason series. This was the Falcons' final game ever in the Georgia Dome after 25 seasons, as the team moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. The Falcons never trailed in the game, scoring 31 unanswered points until Rodgers threw a touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter to give Green Bay its first points. The Falcons won 44–21 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since their 1998 season, as well as the second time in franchise history. Matt Ryan had a big game, throwing 4 touchdown passes and running for another score.
In Week 9, the Falcons will head to Florida for the start of their final back-to-back road game stretch to take on their NFC South division rival Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football. Last season in Raymond James Stadium, the Falcons were unable to put the Bucs away in the fourth quarter and went home with a loss. During that game, Jones passed former Falcons WR Andre Rison for fourth on the Falcons all-time receiving list on his sixth reception of the game, which was also Jones' 100th reception of the season. The Falcons will kick off their final slate of preseason games in the Georgia Dome against Washington.
The Atlanta Falcons finished the regular season with a point differential of +134. Based on their point differential and their pythagorean expectation, the Falcons could have been expected to have about 10.6 wins, or a 11-5 record in the regular season. “We have a challenging non-conference schedule which should prepare us for CIAA play,” Falcons’ Head Coach Tim Chavous said. The Falcons will host four home games at the Athletic Complex including Oct. 22 against Fayetteville State on Homecoming Day and Nov. 5 against crosstown rival Shaw on Senior Day. The Falcons play a Monday Night Football game on September 26th in New Orleans against the Saints.
This will be the 16th preseason matchup between these two franchises – dating back to 1968 – with the Falcons leading the series 9-6. The last time these two clubs met in the preseason was 2004, when Washington rolled away with a 27-0 win in FedEx Field. The Falcons will travel north to face the Cleveland Browns for the first time since 2003 in week two of the preseason. The Browns lead the preseason matchup 6-5 and have won their last four preseason contests against the Falcons. The dates and times of the games versus Washington and Cleveland will be announced at a later date, while the matchup against the Dolphins will be played on Thursday, August 25 at 8 p.m. The last preseason game versus Jacksonville will be on Thursday, September 1, and the time will be announced at a later date.
When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. With the win, the Falcons improved to 4–1 for the first time since 2010. Back in February, the oddsmakers with CG Technology set this for the Falcons, and it seems appropriate for a team I think will settle right in at 8 or 9 wins in 2016. Going 3-1 or even 4-0 against the Saints and Buccaneers is more than attainable for Atlanta.
Here's a look at Atlanta's road ahead as the team hopes to end its playoff drought. While the Falcons missed out on the postseason, fans should consider last year a bit of a success under head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn built his reputation on his defensive expertise, and he made an immediate impact on the team.
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