The 2023 NFL season is still over three months away, but that won’t stop people from talking about it every day until Week 1 arrives. For the second year in a row, Atlanta will open the season at home against an NFC South rival.
This time, it’s the Carolina Panthers coming to town with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young under center. However, the Falcons haven’t won a home opener since their 26-24 win over the Eagles back in 2015, and their last Week 1 victory came against Chicago back in 2017.
Will Atlanta break this steak in 2023? Despite the Falcons being three-point favorites, CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani is giving the edge to the Panthers. In Dajani’s way-too-early Week 1 picks, he predicts Carolina to walk away with a 21-17 win.
The Panthers and Falcons split the season series in 2022, and they will meet again in Week 15 of the 2023 season. However, this Week 1 matchup is the one we’re highlighting in our five most-anticipated games on Atlanta’s 2023 schedule.
CBS Sports did give the Falcons some love this week, picking the team to win the division and finish with double-digit wins for the first time since 2017.
