ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons' 2026 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.
The Falcons will be on primetime for three straight weeks in late September and early October, including back-to-back games on the road at the Green Bay Packers and at the rival New Orleans Saints. That Week 4 game against the Saints, on "Monday Night Football," will be the 20th anniversary of the Saints' "Domecoming" -- their first game back at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina.
Former coach Raheem Morris, who was fired after last season, will return to Atlanta in Week 7 as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. Two weeks later, the Falcons will be in Madrid taking on Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 14, new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski returns to Cleveland, where he coached the Browns for six seasons.
The Falcons' schedule closes with three straight games against all their divisional rivals. The NFC South will likely be hanging in the balance as Atlanta hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Saints and then finishes up in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers.
Here's what's in store for the Falcons:
Falcons 2026 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 2: Sept. 20 vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 3: Sept. 24 at Green Bay Packers (TNF)
Week 4: Oct. 5 at New Orleans Saints (MNF)
Week 5: Oct. 11 vs. Baltimore Ravens (SNF)
Week 6: Oct. 18 vs. Chicago Bears
Week 7: Oct. 25 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 8: Nov. 1 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 9: Nov. 8 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (in Madrid)
Week 10: Nov. 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 11: Bye week
Week 12: Nov. 29 at Minnesota Vikings
Week 13: Dec. 6 vs. Detroit Lions
Week 14: Dec. 13 at Cleveland Browns
Week 15: Dec. 20 at Washington Commanders
Week 16: TBD vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 17: Jan. 3 vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 18: TBD at Carolina Panthers
* Dates for Weeks 16 through 18 are to be determined
Strength of schedule: The Falcons have the fourth-easiest schedule in the league (opponents had a .465 winning percentage in 2025).
DraftKings over/under win total: 7.5
ESPN analyst Mike Clay's projected win total: 5.7
Biggest takeaway
The entire first half of the Falcons' schedule is perilous. They open in Pittsburgh and have one home game in the first four weeks. Weeks 3 through 5 are all primetime games -- one in Green Bay, another at the Saints on a very important anniversary date for their biggest rivals and then lastly against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. It doesn't get much easier after that. The Falcons host the Bears and 49ers, both playoff teams last season, travel to the rival Bucs and then finally head to Madrid to face Burrow and Cincinnati. Kind of brutal.
Circle this date
On Dec. 13 is when Stefanski will return for the first time to Cleveland, where he coached the Browns from 2020 to 2025. Stefanski won two AP Coach of the Year awards during that time and made the playoffs twice, but still finished with a 45-56 record. He won a total of eight games in his final two seasons and was fired after last season. It'll be interesting to see what kind of response he gets from the Browns fanbase; he was a polarizing figure in the city with many things working against him there.
Bold prediction
The Falcons will close out the season with three straight wins, all against their division rivals, to sneak into the playoffs after a rough start to the season. By late in the season, Atlanta players will be more up to speed on Stefanski's system and they'll be battle-tested after a tumultuous start.
If Michael Penix Jr. cannot go by Week 1, what's the most realistic timeframe in the schedule for him to compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the starting quarterback role?
The Falcons would love for one quarterback to win the job out of training camp and keep it the entire season en route to breaking the team's nine-season playoff drought. The latter might end up happening, but the former two are dicey. Both Tagovailoa and Penix each have a long injury history. If the past is any indication, both will get starts this season. Look for the competition to really heat up depending on the outcome of those three straight primetime games.
