2025 Falcons schedule: Atlanta's opponents ahead of NFL's official release
The Atlanta Falcons were hoping Kirk Cousins would be able to lead them to their first NFC South title since 2016.
Cousins' early returns were good. He helped lead Atlanta to a 6-3 start that put it in control of the division.
However, the quarterback hit a midseason cold stretch that ultimately derailed the Falcons' chances of making the postseason. It also caused Cousins to lose his starting job, as 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. took over for him in the final three weeks of the season.
Many expected the Falcons to move on from Cousins during the offseason. Instead, they are holding onto the high-priced veteran, planning to make him the backup to Penix.
Will that actually happen? It isn't yet clear if the Falcons will entertain trading Cousins with the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror. Regardless of who is playing quarterback, Atlanta made significant investments in its defense during the draft, hoping to improve upon a pass rush that ranked second-to-last in sacks last season.
If all goes well for the Falcons, they could challenge the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South title. Below is a full look at the list of opponents Atlanta will have to go through in 2025 to make that happen.
Falcons 2025 opponents
Here's the complete list of Falcons opponents for 2025:
Home
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Miami Dolphins
- New Orleans Saints
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Washington Commanders
Road
- Arizona Cardinals
- Carolina Panthers
- Indianapolis Colts
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As is customary, the Falcons will play each of their NFC South divisional foes twice during the 2025 NFL season. They will also play all of the AFC East and NFC West teams as part of the NFL's rotating schedule.
Atlanta's final three opponents – the Commanders, Colts and Vikings – were determined based on the Falcons' second-place finish in the NFC South last season.
When is the 2025 NFL schedule release?
The NFL is set to reveal its 2025 schedule in full on Wednesday, May 14. On that date, the NFL will reveal its entire 18-week slate of matchups and bye weeks for each team.
This year's schedule release will be held one day earlier than last year's, which was on May 15. The NFL announced the full 2024 schedule at 8 p.m. ET that night, so fans can expect a similar release time for this year's schedule.