FALCONS ANNOUNCE 2007 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The 2007 National Football League schedule was released by the League office today. This year the Falcons will host four playoff teams from 2006 (New York Giants, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Seattle) at the Georgia Dome.

“This schedule again gives our fans not only great home opponents, but outstanding national TV exposure as well,” said Falcons President & General Manager Rich McKay.

The Falcons are currently scheduled to have three nationally televised games in 2007, in which the team will host all three contests. The first nationally televised Falcons game will be against the New York Giants on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in Week 6. The team will then be visited by the defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts on November 22, marking the first time the Falcons have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game at home. The game will be televised on the NFL Network. Two weeks later, Atlanta will face the New Orleans Saints on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

The number of national games can change though based on the NFL’s new flexible scheduling plan. In 2006, the NFL implemented a primetime ‘flexible scheduling’ element in which Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window, airing on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. This year, flexible scheduling will effect NFL Sunday afternoon games occurring between Weeks 11-17. However, the flexible scheduling will only effect the Falcons on Weeks 13 and 15-17 due to the Thanksgiving Day game on November 22.

The Falcons will play three of their first five games on the road as they match up against three teams that they haven’t faced since 2003 in the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. The first two contests will be on the road as the team faces the Minnesota Vikings followed by the Jaguars. Atlanta will then host the Carolina Panthers and the Texans before traveling to Tennessee to face the Titans.

The Falcons will then play back-to-back games against 2006 playoff contenders in the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints before having a bye in Week 8 of the season.

Atlanta returns from its bye to face the San Francisco 49ers, in which they will host the team for the first time since 2001. The Falcons will then play two games in-a-row against division opponents as they travel to Carolina and play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Falcons will host their first ever Thanksgiving Day game as the Colts travel to the Georgia Dome, marking the first time since 2003 that Atlanta has squared off against Indianapolis.

Atlanta will play three of their final five games on the road, starting off with a trip to St. Louis to face the Rams. The Falcons will then host the Saints before traveling to Tampa Bay and Arizona. The team wraps up their regular season schedule against the Seattle Seahawks at the Georgia Dome.

Home games in bold caps; all kickoffs are Eastern.
* Denotes Flexible Scheduling

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