Falcons '09 Schedule

I'll start with the good news. The Falcons have two prime-time games this season: Sunday the 18th of October hosting the Bears, and Monday, November 2nd at New Orleans. Chicago will be gunning for revenge for Atlanta's unlikely and amazing comeback late in last season's game, and with Jay Cutler at the helm, Ryan and the crew, and the restructured defense will have to step up all aspects of their game if they hope to repeat in victory. New Orleans has an amazing tendency to pull out Monday night home victories no matter how bad their team is or how good their opponent is. What makes it more difficult is that the Saints will not likely be a bad team this season. More good news: If the Falcons manage a 11-5 record again this season, or even a 10-6, naysayers will have a difficult time downplaying their success. Atlanta opens with two home games against two 2008 playoff teams, the Dolphins and the Panthers. The Dolphins 11-5 record was even more unexpected than the Falcons' resurgence in '08, and under Parcells they'll remain just as tough. Though many pundits see the Panthers as a stronger team this season, I'm not buying it. Delhomme doesn't impress me, though Steve Smith certainly does. Additionally, the unwilling franchise tag applied to Julius Peppers may make for an unhappy locker room, but he'll still be a dangerous opponent. I don't expect either of these games to be easy, but they may both be easier than a third week trip to New England to face Tom Brady and his Pats. The Patriots will be determined to retake the top spot in in the AFC East, and their off-season moves seem to reflect that. Adding Joey Galloway, Chris Baker, Fred Taylor and 5 other free agents, as well as re-signing 8 of their own free agents, not to mention 11 draft picks in the upcoming draft makes them quite possibly the most solid team in the NFL. Falcons hit their bye week early before heading out to the west coast to take on the 49ers in week 5. San Francisco ended the 2008 campaign as an emerging team and will try to continue that trend. Bears at home for that Sunday night game follows, then week 7 takes the Birds to Dallas to try to beat up on the Cowboys in their new home stadium. It will be nice to see Keith Brooking again, and, though the Cowboys can never be taken lightly, they still have many questions to address before the season begins. The Saint's Monday Night Football game follows in week 8, and week 9 will have the Falcons hosting the Redskins on short rest. It will be ... interesting to see DeAngelo Hall again, but their addition of Albert Haynesworth will make this a huge challenge for Matt Ryan and the O-line. Week 10 is Carolina in Carolina, where, historically, the Falcons have played well, though they lost there last season. Then off to New York for a reunion with Michael Boley and the Giants on the 22nd of November. Their offense is just replacing Plaxico Burress away from being as deadly as their Super Bowl year, and their defense is still likely to be brutal. The end of November will bring the third division rivalry of the month with Tampa Bay coming to town. By this time, it should be apparent how their off season moves have worked for them, but the Byron Leftwich signing scares no one, especially not the Falcons fans who remember how he stunk up the joint for us in '07. The Falcons will look to avenge their loss to the Eagles last season in week 13, and the strength of Philly will be determined greatly by the upcoming draft and the remainder of free agency. Week 14 brings the Saints to town, then off to the frigid north for a pre-Christmas game against the Jets on the 20th of December. The Jets don't impress me as of yet without Favre at the helm, but there's always the chance that he'll come out of retirement...again. Buffalo and T.O. will be coming to town on the 27th for the penultimate game of the regular season, and the Bills by this point should have answered several questions about both Owens and Trent Edwards, one way or the other. The regular season finale will be on the road at Tampa Bay completing a brutal stretch of 13 games without a bye, so, hopefully, the Falcons will be heading into the off season with the best or second-best record in the NFC, getting that first round bye, though a playoff berth will be remarkable at any level. Based on last season's records, the Falcons drew the 4th most difficult schedule in the NFL, with Carolina in at 2nd, Tampa at 5th, and the Saints at 8th. Winning the NFC South this season may be more a measure of resilience than skill.