The Falcons take on an AFC foe they have not played very frequently throughout their history, which is understandable given the fact that they have always been in separate conferences. Atlanta and Cincinnati have squared off 14 times, with the Bengals owning a 9-5 lead.
Unlike the Falcons, the Bengals, who were created in 1968 and joined the NFL during the merger in 1970, put things together rather quickly and were a consistently good team throughout much of the ‘70s, making the playoffs three times and going seven straight seasons without a losing record. The Falcons won the first ever meeting in 1971, before Cincy rattled off five straight wins in a stretch which spanned through the mid ‘80s.