The 2026 Atlanta Falcons schedule opens Sunday, September 13 at Pittsburgh and ends with a Week 18 trip to Carolina in January 2027. Preseason is over, the 53 man roster is set, and every regular season date, kickoff time and TV channel is below.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski inherits a demanding start: three straight primetime games in Weeks 3 through 5, then a Week 9 international game against Cincinnati in Madrid.
This page also has the free printable PDF, the bye week, the key matchups and every streaming option.
Free Printable Atlanta Falcons Schedule PDF
This printable Atlanta Falcons schedule fits the full season on one letter size page. It lists every game with the opponent, date, kickoff time in ET and TV channel, and leaves a blank column for the final score each week. Print it for the fridge or the office wall, or keep the PDF on your phone.
Download the Printable Falcons Schedule PDF
2026 Atlanta Falcons Schedule: All 17 Regular Season Games
Atlanta has nine home games, but only eight are at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons are the designated home team for the Madrid game in Week 9, so that date leaves town.
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) | TV CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | @ Steelers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | vs Panthers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 3 | Thu, Sep 24 | @ Packers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 4 | Mon, Oct 5 | @ Saints | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | vs Ravens | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | vs Bears | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | vs 49ers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ Buccaneers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | vs Bengals (Madrid) | 9:30 AM | NFL Network |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | vs Chiefs | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 11 | Weekend of Nov 22 | BYE WEEK | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | @ Vikings | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | vs Lions | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Browns | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | @ Commanders | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 16 | Sat Dec 26 or Sun Dec 27 | vs Buccaneers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | vs Saints | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 18 | Sat Jan 9 or Sun Jan 10 | @ Panthers | TBD | TBD |
Two dates are still open. Week 16 against Tampa Bay is one of four matchups the league left undated. Two of those four go to Saturday, December 26 windows on NFL Network at 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM ET, and the rest land in Sunday, December 27 windows. The league confirms the day, time and network no later than immediately after Week 14. Week 18 is left open across the whole league and is set only once Week 17 finishes.
Flexible scheduling can still move games. A Sunday afternoon game can be lifted into the Sunday night window in Weeks 5 through 17, or into Monday night in Weeks 12 through 17, with at least 12 days notice. Kickoffs can also slide between the 1:00 PM and 4:25 PM Sunday windows.
Where the Falcons Stand After the 2026 Preseason
Atlanta finished the preseason 2 and 1. Denver won the August 14 opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, then the Falcons rolled through Indianapolis and closed with a win in Miami.
| DATE | GAME | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 14 | vs Broncos | L 7 to 27 |
| Sat, Aug 22 | @ Colts | W 34 to 6 |
| Fri, Aug 28 | @ Dolphins | W 17 to 12 |
The quarterback job is still open. Atlanta kept four quarterbacks on the initial 53 man roster set August 30: Michael Penix Jr., Tua Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand. Penix was medically cleared on August 24 after surgery for a partially torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, and he took no preseason snaps.
Tagovailoa signed a one year deal in the offseason and started the finale in Miami, going 7 of 8 for 95 yards. Stefanski had still not named a Week 1 starter as of September 6, which leaves Wednesday depth chart day as the likely reveal.
The edge rush opens the season short. Jalon Walker tore an ACL in practice on August 5 and is out for the year. James Pearce Jr., the 2025 first round pick, is suspended for the first eight games under the NFL personal conduct policy, so the Madrid game in Week 9 is his first eligible date.
Atlanta signed three time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith on August 18 to cover the gap, then traded cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth round pick to Chicago on cut day for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.
For every team, see the full 2026 NFL preseason schedule.
Key Matchups on the Atlanta Falcons Schedule
Weeks 3 to 5: three primetime games in a row. Thursday night at Green Bay, Monday night at New Orleans, then Baltimore at home on Sunday night. Nothing else on the calendar is this tough. The Saints game is the league Domecoming showcase, marking 20 years since the Superdome reopened after Hurricane Katrina. The reopening game in September 2006 was also a Monday nighter against Atlanta.
Week 7 vs 49ers, October 25. Raheem Morris returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium as San Francisco defensive coordinator, nine months after Atlanta fired him as head coach.
Week 9 vs Bengals in Madrid, November 8. The league second regular season game in Spain kicks off at 9:30 AM ET from the Santiago Bernabeu, a year after Miami beat Washington there in overtime. Atlanta is the designated home team, so the trip costs the Falcons a date in front of their own crowd.
Week 14 at Browns, December 13. Kevin Stefanski goes back to Cleveland for the first time since the Browns fired him in January after six seasons and two Coach of the Year awards.
Weeks 16 to 18: three NFC South games to finish. Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay and New Orleans, then closes at Carolina. The division ended in a three way tie at 8 and 9 last season, decided on head to head record, and Atlanta finished third behind the Panthers and Buccaneers. The Falcons face each rival twice: Carolina in Weeks 2 and 18, Tampa Bay in Weeks 8 and 16, and the Saints in Weeks 4 and 17.
The bye lands in Week 11, on the weekend of November 22, late enough to work as a reset before the December run. Atlanta opponents went .465 in 2025, tied for the fourth softest slate in the league on that measure, though rankings built on projected win totals put the schedule closer to the middle.
How to Watch the Atlanta Falcons Schedule on TV and Streaming
FOX carries eight games and CBS has three. The primetime slate splits between NBC, ESPN and Prime Video, NFL Network has the Madrid game, and two games are still unassigned.
| NETWORK | GAMES | WHERE TO STREAM |
|---|---|---|
| FOX (WAGA FOX 5) | 8 | FOX One, or a pay TV login |
| CBS (WUPA channel 69) | 3 | Paramount+ |
| NBC (WXIA 11Alive) | 1 | Peacock |
| ESPN | 1 | ESPN Unlimited in the ESPN app |
| Prime Video | 1 | Prime Video and Twitch |
| NFL Network | 1 | NFL+ on mobile, NFL+ Premium on TV |
| TBD | 2 | Weeks 16 and 18, assigned in season |
One local change worth knowing: CBS in Atlanta is WUPA channel 69, not WANF. The signal moved in August 2025, so anyone who has not rescanned an antenna since then will miss the CBS games. WANF, Atlanta News First, is independent now and struck a simulcast deal with ESPN in July 2026 to carry two Falcons games free locally: the Week 4 Monday nighter at New Orleans and the Madrid game in Week 9.
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV each carry FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network in one package, which covers the whole season. NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube adds out of market Sunday afternoon games for fans outside Georgia.
NFL+ streams in market and primetime games on phones and tablets only, and NFL+ Premium is the tier that puts NFL Network on a TV.
Outside the United States, NFL Game Pass on DAZN carries the season live and on replay, though viewers in the UK and Ireland lose one game in each Sunday window to a Sky Sports exclusive and get it on demand afterward.
Watching free: an antenna picks up FOX, CBS and NBC over the air in metro Atlanta, which covers 12 of the 17 games at no cost. Three more are free in the Atlanta market: WANF simulcasts the Week 4 and Week 9 games, and league rules put the Week 3 Thursday night streaming game on a local station in both teams markets.
That is 15 of 17 without a subscription. Peacock, Paramount+, Fubo and YouTube TV all run free trials. On the radio, every game airs on 92.9 The Game (WZGC) with Wes Durham on play by play and Dave Archer on color.
Following more than one team? The 2026 NFL schedule hub has printable PDFs by week and by team, including the Bears, Bengals and Steelers pages for Atlanta opponents.
Atlanta Falcons Schedule FAQ
When is the Falcons first game of the 2026 season?
Atlanta opens Sunday, September 13, 2026 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, kicking off at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. The home opener is Week 2 against Carolina on Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM ET.
Who is the Falcons starting quarterback in 2026?
Kevin Stefanski had not named a Week 1 starter as of September 6, which makes Atlanta the last team in the league without a declared opening day quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. was cleared on August 24 after ACL surgery but took no preseason snaps, Tua Tagovailoa signed a one year deal and started the preseason finale, and Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand are also on the roster. Watch for the official Wednesday depth chart.
When is the Falcons bye week in 2026?
Week 11, on the weekend of November 22, 2026. It sits between the Week 10 home game against Kansas City and the Week 12 trip to Minnesota.
Are the Falcons playing in Madrid in 2026?
Yes. Atlanta hosts the Cincinnati Bengals at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM ET on NFL Network, with streaming on NFL+ and a free local simulcast on WANF in Atlanta. The Falcons are the designated home team, so it counts as one of their nine home dates.
What TV channel are the Falcons on in 2026?
FOX carries eight games, CBS three, NBC one, ESPN one, Prime Video one and NFL Network one. Weeks 16 and 18 are still to be assigned. In Atlanta the local stations are WAGA FOX 5, WUPA channel 69 for CBS and WXIA 11Alive for NBC. CBS in Atlanta moved from WANF to WUPA in August 2025, so an antenna rescan may be needed.
How did the Falcons do in the 2026 preseason?
Atlanta went 2 and 1. Denver won the August 14 opener in Atlanta 27 to 7, the Falcons beat the Colts 34 to 6 on August 22, and they closed with a 17 to 12 win at Miami on August 28.
When will the Week 16 and Week 18 games be scheduled?
The Week 16 home game against Tampa Bay is one of four undated matchups. Two of the four go to Saturday, December 26 windows on NFL Network at 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM ET and the rest land on Sunday, December 27, with the league confirming no later than immediately after Week 14. Week 18 is set only once Week 17 finishes, landing on Saturday, January 9 or Sunday, January 10.
Can I watch Falcons games for free?
Yes, up to 15 of the 17 games in the Atlanta market. An antenna picks up FOX, CBS and NBC for 12 games, WANF simulcasts the Week 4 Monday night game and the Madrid game, and the Week 3 Thursday night streaming game airs on a local station. Peacock, Paramount+, Fubo and YouTube TV also offer free trials, and every game is called live on 92.9 The Game (WZGC) radio.
The 2026 Atlanta Falcons schedule asks a lot early and gives something back late: three primetime games and a trip to Madrid inside the first nine weeks, a Week 11 bye, then three straight NFC South games that could decide a division settled by a tiebreaker last season.
Download the free printable PDF, keep it somewhere you will see it, and fill in the results as the season goes.