Falcons' Brutal Stretch That Will Determine Their Season

The Atlanta Falcons have a brutal stretch of games in 2026. Unfortunately for them, it will come right out of the gate. They start the season on the road with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a difficult test in its own right, but the schedule then goes a bit off the rails. 

Kevin Stefanski’s squad will have a doozy of a slate, with five playoff opponents, a pair of road division games, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, followed by an international trip to Madrid to face Joe Burrow and the Bengals over their first nine games of the season. The Falcons will then face Kansas City before a bye week, followed by a pair of franchises that should be among the most improved this season (Vikings and Lions). 

Yikes. 

The Steelers might have a quarterback change, depending on what happens with Aaron Rodgers's forever-unknown decision-making. Should he choose to leave or retire, that game becomes immediately more gettable, with Pittsburgh being forced to start either rookie Drew Allar or Will Howard. 

Depending on who is taking snaps in Pittsburgh, winning that game could prove to be a must for the Falcons right out of the gate. 

Because up next, they come home to face the Panthers in Atlanta, a team that has had their number over their last three meetings. Then it is three straight games in prime-time, with two of those contests coming on the road (one being a home opener, Packers, and the other honoring the 20th anniversary of the ‘Dome-coming’, Saints). 

The Falcons’ mini-bye will come right in the middle of that stretch, with a 10-day layoff between their Thursday Night Football trip to Green Bay and their Monday Night Football trip to New Orleans, but they have to take advantage of it. A slow start could very easily land the Falcons at 1-8 or 2-7 to start the season, and that would prove to be impossible to recover from. 

Stefanski’s squad would be in good shape if they could salvage a 2-2 record from that stretch because the heat will ramp up from there. There are no easy weeks, with Ravens on Sunday Night Football, then the Bears, 49ers, and a road trip to Tampa. 

At that point, the Falcons would be happy to be 4-4 because then it’s four more potential playoff teams with the Bengals in Madrid, the Chiefs, a road trip to face the Vikings (after a bye), and the Lions. 

Atlanta will be ushering in a new era in 2026. Starting it off with an early-season skid would not only bury the team and the city’s morale, but also bury the season before it even has a chance to find life. The Falcons have to find their legs early in the season. 

If they don’t, it could be a long, difficult year.