2023 Atlanta Falcons Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Atlanta Falcons may have flown under the radar for some NFL fans this offseason, but they could have the pieces to turn things around after five straight losing campaigns.

Atlanta has won exactly seven games in four of the last five years, including last season, but it won't take a significant jump to contend in the NFC South. After all, the division didn't feature a single team with a winning record during the 2022 campaign, and the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost Tom Brady to retirement in the offseason.

Enter the Falcons' young offensive talent, with wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson was one of the most notable picks of the 2023 draft at No. 8 overall, and he should be able to impact the game in multiple ways as a pass-catcher and runner.

It wouldn't be a surprise if he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, especially with the space playing alongside London and Pitts should create.

The defense should also be much better in 2023 after the front office added Jesse Bates, Jeff Okudah, Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell in an effort to improve a unit that finished the 2022 season 27th in the league in yards allowed per game and 23rd in points allowed per game.

Yet the team's ultimate success may come down to how quarterback Desmond Ridder develops in what will be his first full season as a starter. He showed flashes last season with a 2-2 record as a starter, but quickly developing consistency could be the difference between the playoffs and a disappointing campaign.

Here is a look at the schedule he will be facing.

---

2023 Atlanta Falcons Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website.

---

Analysis

David Eulitt/Getty Images

The Falcons have the easiest schedule in the NFL, at least based on their opponents' winning percentage last season.

Much of that is because they play their own division in six of their 17 games, but they also face the NFC North and AFC South in 2023. The Minnesota Vikings were the only team in the NFC North to finish better than 9-8 last year, while the Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South with a 9-8 mark.

There are far more difficult divisions Atlanta could have played, and games against the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears and Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers represent a number of potential wins.

Additional NFC games against the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders based on the Falcons' last-place finish are also fairly forgiving considering they went a combined 12-21-1 during the 2022 campaign.

An AFC crossover matchup with the New York Jets is more difficult than once thought after they traded for Rodgers, but the schedule is manageable as a whole.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Atlanta improved on its 7-10 record based on that factor alone.

---

Pivotal Matchups

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Rivalry showdowns with the New Orleans Saints are always going to stand out for the Falcons, and this year is no different.

After all, Atlanta is an ugly 2-9 in its last 11 matchups against its rivals and is surely looking to turn things around and start a new chapter with Ridder under center. The task will be more difficult now that Derek Carr is the quarterback of the Saints, but Ridder will be judged in part by how he does in these games.

Elsewhere, matchups against the Bears and Packers stand out if Atlanta is going to finish with a solid NFC record that would help for tiebreaker purposes.

Chicago is another team that made improvements this offseason with the addition of wide receiver D.J. Moore and a number of defenders. If quarterback Justin Fields takes another step in his third season, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Bears factor into the wild-card race.

With Rodgers no longer in Green Bay, the Falcons also have a chance to get a win against a marquee franchise that is in something of a transition process with Jordan Love assuming the starting role.

If Atlanta can find a way to stack wins in these matchups, it can make a playoff push even with the unproven Ridder under center.