Falcons can navigate reasonable 2023 schedule and seriously contend for NFC South title

Now, does the schedule you surely devoured and overanalyzed Thursday night come into play?

A little bit. The Falcons slate sets up favorably, with two home games to open the season. The opener comes against Carolina and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Better to catch him early than after he gains experience.

The Falcons comes in Week 11, which is a sweet spot. The London game against Jacksonville could add a complication, but there’s room in the early going to gain footing against inexperienced quarterbacks in four of the first six games. Then the Falcons run through a gauntlet of opponents who might struggle, with just two teams that made last year’s playoffs between Week 6 and their bye.

Then Arthur Smith and Ryan Nielsen will have an extra week to face New Orleans in Week 12, the start of a more difficult stretch that could define the season. They play four division games in the last seven, giving a Falcons roster with so much new a chance to jel and get ready for the home stretch.

The NFC South should be wide open, considering the state of these teams and their equal uncertainty at quarterback outside Derek Carr in New Orleans, but the Saints have other problems to handle.

The Falcons have a couple of true cold-weather possibilities in a Dec. 3 game in New York and a Dec. 31 game in Chicago, the rest of the slate could be pleasant. They don’t have a Thursday game, so there are no severely short weeks on the slate and won’t even if they get flex

Overall, though, it’s a reasonable run. I’m of the belief that schedules can occasion add complications. This schedule isn’t that.

Generally speaking, that should allow the Falcons to go out and earn it on their own merits. If they can stay relatively healthy and grow together despite so many new faces, in addition to finding ways to execute better overall and in close games especially, there’s no reason why this group can fight for a division title at season’s end. The schedule certainly doesn’t make that endeavor more difficult than most.