The Atlanta Falcons wrapped up their preseason action last week falling to the Steelers 24-0. The starters did not play once again, marking only one drive for the starting offense for the entire preseason. Monday now marks exactly two weeks to go until the team suits up against their division rival Carolina Panthers at home. Much debate has been had over the starters’ lack of live reps, but all that fodder is behind the team now and their sole focus is Week One.
There is obviously no such thing as a must-win game in Week One of the NFL season. A big asterisk, however, is being put on this matchup because of the expectations for the team after a productive offseason and the lack of reps leading into the game. Should the team come up lame or start slow vs Carolina, the narrative will rise again surrounding if and how much more the starters should have played during the preseason.
Dukes & Bell acknowledged how important it is for the team to come out of the starting block hot to begin the season
“Are we going to be ready? Are the Falcons going to be ready? I just want to remind Falcons’ fans, how you start matters. If you go back prior to 2016, and 2016 is the outlier, but 2017 we were third in the division, second in 2018 and 2019. Fourth in 2020. We haven’t won this division since 2016. And part of it is the way that we’ve started, even with Arthur Smith as the coach,” Carl Dukes explained.
The Falcons, in theory, have a soft schedule to begin the season that should produce immediate results if Arthur Smith’s vision comes into focus. After the Panthers, the team takes on a rebuilding Packers squad, a contending Lions team and then an overseas matchup with the Jaguars in London.
