Editor's note: This story was written on Jan. 9, after the Falcons opponents were locked in and well before the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to Denver.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga —Now that the 2021 regular season has wrapped, the Falcons 2022 opponents are set.
The Falcons finished third in the NFC South with a 7-10 record, a three-win increase from the 2020 season, in Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot’s first season.
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The third place finish means the Falcons will take on teams in equal standing from the NFC East, NFC North, and AFC West in the Washington Football Team, Chicago Bears, and the L.A. Chargers.
As part of the NFL's rotating cycles in which a team has to play four teams from another division in its conference, the Falcons will take on the NFC West. Arguably the best division in the NFL in 2021, the division features three teams over .500 in the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.
Teams also have to play four teams from a division in the opposing conference on a rotating four-year cycle, in which the Falcons drew the AFC North.
The AFC North, featuring the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns, has been one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL since its inception in 2002.
Here's the full list of Falcons opponents for 2022:
| HOME | AWAY |
|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Baltimore Ravens |
| San Francisco 49ers | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Cleveland Browns | Los Angeles Rams |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Seattle Seahawks |
| Carolina Panthers | Carolina Panthers |
| New Orleans Saints | New Orleans Saints |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| L.A. Chargers | Washington Football Team |
| Chicago Bears |
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