When the schedule was released for the Falcons, it was evident that they were going to come out of the first seven games of the season either significantly down in the NFC South standings or having proven they belong in a conversation among NFC contenders. The difficulty out of the gate is extreme enough that we’ll have a good measure of the team by the time that stretch is over.
Having battled the Saints, Rams, Seahawks, Buccaneers, and Browns to this point, Atlanta returns home to face one of the NFC’s best. Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers will be coming to town to provide yet another challenge to Atlanta, which lost 31-13 in a flat effort on the road against the 49ers just a year ago.