RealGM

NFL’s toughest schedule for 2016 will belong to the San Francisco 49ers — and the Atlanta Falcons. (The two play one another, as fate would have it.)

The 2016 Falcons will play seven games — almost half the schedule — against teams that made the playoffs. Another fun fact: Not one of the playoff teams the Falcons will face lost its first postseason game. http://markbradley.blog.myajc.com/2016/02/17/yikes-the-falcons-2016-schedule-is-the-nfls-toughest/

That doesn't do a lot to inspire confidence.

These toughest ratings are never accurate. Year in and year out they are always wrong. This is because you never know who will be the surprise team.

Before last season started, who would have predicted that Carolina, Arizona would be so good and Houston, KC, Greenbay, Dallas, Indy, and Seattle would be so bad.

Same thing is going to happen this year. their are going to be teams rated high at the start of the season that the Falcons will have to face, but after 3 weeks we will see what they really are (and how much injuries in the first 3 weeks affect the dynamic of the NFL)