Difficult home schedule highlights Falcons’ 2010 slate
By Bud L. Ellis
If the Atlanta Falcons can find success at the Georgia Dome in 2010, one figures the Dirty Birds will soar to the NFL playoffs for the second time in three years.
The National Football League has released home and road opponents for the 2010 season. Dates will be announced later, but the Falcons can look and see their home schedule is packed with good teams. Seven of Atlanta’s eight home games in 2010 will be against teams that finished .500 or better in 2009.
Highlighting the home portion of the schedule is the annual rivalry with defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans. Playoff teams from a year ago visiting the Dome include Green Bay, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Arizona. Of the remaining home games, San Francisco and Carolina each finished .500 last year. The other home game is against Tampa Bay, which went 3-13 last year.
The road slate is much easier. The only contests against playoff teams are trips to New Orleans and Philadelphia. Four of the road games are against teams that lost 11 or more games last season: Cleveland, Seattle, Tampa Bay and St. Louis. The rest of the road schedule features games at Pittsburgh and at Carolina.
The Falcons have the 20th-toughest schedule in the league, according to opponents’ win percentage from last season.
—30—
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 9:03 am by bud · No Comments
Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Georgia Dome, Green Bay Packers, National Football League, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
