ATLANTA — The 2021 NFL season is now officially on the clock as the league has begun releasing the schedule for all of its teams.
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We now know the who and where for the Atlanta Falcons season kickoff. The Dirty Birds will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday Sept. 12 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a 1p.m. kickoff.
🚨 We will host the Eagles in week 1 at @MBStadium! 🚨
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 12, 2021
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It will be Falcon fans first chance to see first round draft pick Kyle Pitts playing in his first regular season game and new head coach Arthur Smith’s regular season debut.
Hey, @SpursOfficial, we’re coming for a visit!
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 12, 2021
We will play the New York Jets on October 10th in London.
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We now also know the which of the Falcons scheduled home games will be played in London. Atlanta will host the New York Jets at London’s Tottenham-Hotspur stadium, October 10 at 9:30 a.m Eastern Time.
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2020 was not kind to Atlanta as the Falcons struggled with a 4-12 record and a mid-season coaching change after the team parted ways with Dan Quinn.
Expectations for this season are high as Smith is expected to retool the offense which will feature potentially three of the best receivers in the NFL.
Julio Jones is expected to be healthy, Calvin Ridley is back after a 90+ catch season and Pitts is expected by most observers to be a future star.
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The Falcons do know the teams they’re playing already. Along with the Eagles, they’re expected to host the N.Y. Jets, New England, Washington, Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay and New Orleans.
They’ll hit the road to face San Francisco, Buffalo, Dallas, Miami, New York Giants, Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa Bay and New Orleans.
The full schedule, both home and away, will be announced Wednesday night at 8 p.m.