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Atlanta Falcons Set to Face Three AFC West Teams to Start 2012 NFL Season
After falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFL playoffs last season, the Atlanta Falcons have had to go back to the drawing board to figure out a way to get over the hump in the postseason. With relatively the same team intact coming into next season, the Falcons will have a great chance of having a repeat performance to get back in the playoffs to compete as legitimate Super Bowl title contenders.
One thing that the Falcons will have going for them next season is the fallout of the bounty program scandal of the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints potentially out of the running in the NFC South division, the Falcons will instantly become favorites to win the division title. The Carolina Panthers may be a team on the rise within the division with the emergence of quarterback phenom Cam Newton, but it would be safe to say that they are a year or two more before being considered as a threat to the Saints or Falcons in the NFC South.
Right out of the gate in the 2012 NFL season, the Falcons will face three AFC West teams in a row. The first of which will be the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for the Falcons with the Chiefs still a team that needs work.
In Week 2, will take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at home in the Georgia Dome. This will almost certainly be a tough challenge with Manning under center.
Coming into Week 3, the Falcons will go on the road to take on the San Diego Chargers. After a disappointing season, the Chargers will be looking to redeem themselves and might challenge Matt Ryan and company.
It’ll be interesting to see how the up-and-coming Falcons do during this stretch against the AFC West. Chances are they will come out with a flawless 3-0 or suffer one loss to the Broncos or Chargers.
Atlanta Falcons Decline Invite to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks
A few years ago, the New York Jets franchise decided to make a bold move and appear on the critically acclaimed HBO special Hard Knocks. Even though some of the Jets’ coaching staff regret being featured on the show and exposing their lives outside of football, New York benefited from appearing on the show by creating a much bigger fan base and getting some much needed attention after living the show of the New England Patriots.
After deciding not to do the show last season due to the drawn out NFL lockout, HBO’s Hard Knocks will be airing once again this time around. The NFL team to appear on the show has yet to be determined with a few candidates, but real interested parties just yet. The show has reached out to the Jets once again with Rex Ryan and company being arguably the most popular team featured, but it is uncertain whether they’ll appear for a second time.
With the Jets still in limbo, the invitation went out to the up-and-coming Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons don’t have the personalities that the Jets, but they are an intriguing football team with a bright future ahead. With that being the have been contacted, but have reportedly decline the invitation.
Apparently, the team just didn’t want the distraction and potentially negative impact that it could have on the team moving forward. Other candidates for the show as of right now are the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets.
Atlanta
Falcons to Appear on HBO's Hard Knocks?
Last year no team in the NFL appeared on the HBO’s Hard Knocks due to an NFL lockout that took much longer than anticipated to find a resolution in order to get a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed. Before last season, the New York Jets led by outspoken head coach Rex Ryan appeared on the popular HBO show and received extremely high ratings in a highly entertaining series following the storied NFL franchise during training camp.
Reportedly, the New York Jets have been rumored to be in the mix to appear on the show for a second time. This news comes after the Jets acquired arguably the most popular young quarterback in the game in Tim Tebow via trade with the Denver Broncos. There has been talk that the team is seriously considering giving it one more go around, but there is also another team in the running with the Atlanta Falcons apparently already being offered the spot on Hard Knocks.
There is no doubt a lot of NFL and Jets fans would love to see the team back on the show once again, but the consensus is that the show will most likely go in another direction with the Falcons being at the top of the list of potential teams.
Even though the Falcons don’t have a controversial head coach or a superstar like Tim Tebow, Atlanta is definitely a team on the rise in the NFL and might be a legitimate Super Bowl title contender once again this season.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see what direction HBO goes in making a final decision on a team.
Atlanta Falcons Face Tough Challenges During the 2012 Regular Season Schedule
The 2012 NFL schedule has officially been announced with plenty of intriguing matchups for all avid football fans to look forward to. One of the few teams with a grueling schedule ahead is the Atlanta Falcons. As if the added pressure or potentially appearing on HBO’s Hard Knocks and competing in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the up-and-coming Carolina Panthers weren’t enough, the Falcons will have their work cut out for them in order to make it back to the playoffs.
Obviously, with the Panthers on the rise led by Cam Newton and the Saints always a force to be reckoned with despite the recent bounty penalties, the Falcons have a tough going in the NFC South regardless. This season might be the toughest in recent memory for Atlanta with every divisional game potentially controlling the fate of the team in terms of the playoffs.
Along with facing the Bucs, Panthers and Saints twice in the upcoming season, the Falcons will also have to contend with the tough game listed below:
Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 3: @ San Diego Chargers
Week 8: @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 15: vs. New York Giants
Week 16: @ Detroit Lions
So with 12 games in the upcoming schedule potentially brutal and must-win situations, the Atlanta Falcons will be tested on an almost weekly basis this year and might struggle to make the playoffs. Be sure to check out our great selection of Atlanta Falcons Tickets for the 2012 season.
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