If you walked into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in early September, the air felt different. It wasn't just the humidity of a Georgia late-summer. There was this genuine, almost desperate sense of hope. The team had finally moved on from the Arthur Smith era, Kirk Cousins was under center with a shiny new $180 million contract, and Raheem Morris was back to finish what he started years ago. People were actually excited about the falcons home schedule 2024.
Then the games started.
Football is rarely as simple as the paper says it should be. On paper, the 2024 home slate was a gauntlet. You had the defending champion Chiefs coming to town, a bitter rivalry game against the Saints, and the "America's Team" Cowboys making an appearance. But looking back, the home schedule didn't just provide football; it provided a season-long heart-attack for anyone wearing red and black.
Breaking Down the Falcons Home Schedule 2024
The season kicked off with a thud. Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers was supposed to be the Kirk Cousins coming-out party. Instead, we got a defensive slugfest where the Falcons didn't even allow a single touchdown and still managed to lose 18-10. Chris Boswell basically kicked the Falcons into submission with six field goals. It was ugly. Cousins looked rusty—rightfully so, coming off that Achilles injury—and the offense felt out of sync.
Things didn't stay quiet for long, though.
After a miraculous road win in Philly, the Falcons returned home for a massive Sunday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. Mercedes-Benz was rocking. Honestly, that might have been the loudest it’s been in years. The Falcons hung tough, losing a close one 22-17. It felt like a "moral victory," but in the NFL, those don't help you in the standings.
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The Divisional Chaos
If you want to talk about the meat of the falcons home schedule 2024, you have to look at Weeks 4 and 5. This was the peak of the season.
First, the New Orleans Saints came to town. It’s always heated, but this one was wild. Younghoe Koo, the most reliable person in Atlanta not named Ludacris, nailed a 58-yard field goal to win it 26-24. No offensive touchdowns for the Falcons in that game—just a defensive score, a special teams score, and Koo’s leg.
Then came the short week. Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay.
This was the game where Kirk Cousins finally looked like the guy the Falcons paid for. He threw for a staggering 509 yards. Read that again. Five hundred and nine. It ended in a 36-30 overtime thriller with KhaDarel Hodge sprinting into the end zone for the win. For a moment there, it felt like the Falcons were the best team in the NFC South.
The Mid-Season Slump and the Cowboys Win
The energy dipped a bit after that. Seattle came to Atlanta in Week 7 and basically dismantled the Falcons 34-14. It was one of those games where nothing worked.
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But then came the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.
The Falcons haven't always had the best luck against Dallas, but they controlled this one. A 27-21 win put Atlanta at 6-3. At that point, the playoffs felt like a certainty. Cousins threw three touchdowns, the defense was making stands, and the vibes were immaculate.
How the 2024 Home Games Ended
The final stretch of the falcons home schedule 2024 was, well, confusing. After the bye week, the Los Angeles Chargers came to Atlanta in Week 13. This was a brutal 17-13 loss where Cousins threw four interceptions. Four. It was the kind of game that makes a fanbase start looking at the backup quarterback—and since that backup was top-10 pick Michael Penix Jr., the whispers started getting loud.
The Falcons did bounce back in Week 16 with a dominant 34-7 win over the New York Giants. It was a "feel good" game, but the damage to the season was already starting to show.
The finale was just weird. Week 18 against the Carolina Panthers. A game the Falcons really should have won to solidify their standing. Instead, it turned into a 44-38 overtime loss. It was a shootout that shouldn't have been a shootout. Losing at home to a struggling Panthers team to end the year felt like a bucket of cold water on the season's early progress.
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The Final Home Tally
Atlanta finished the regular season with an 8-9 record overall. At home, they were a bit of a mixed bag. They beat the Saints, Bucs, Cowboys, and Giants. They lost to the Steelers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Chargers, and Panthers.
- Best Home Win: Week 5 vs Tampa Bay (The 509-yard Kirk game)
- Worst Home Loss: Week 18 vs Carolina (The overtime heartbreaker)
- Most Surprising Performance: Week 4 vs New Orleans (Winning without an offensive TD)
What We Learned from the 2024 Home Slate
Raheem Morris brought a different energy, for sure. The team was more aggressive, and they certainly didn't quit in games. But the inconsistency was maddening. One week you’re putting up 500 yards of offense, and the next you’re struggling to score 13 points against the Chargers.
The 2024 season showed that the Falcons have the talent—Bijan Robinson is a star, Drake London is a legitimate WR1, and the offensive line is solid—but the "clutch" factor stayed elusive.
Actionable Insights for the Future:
If you're looking ahead based on how the falcons home schedule 2024 played out, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the turnover margin. The games Atlanta lost at home were almost always dictated by Cousins' interceptions or fumbles.
- Home field advantage is returning. Mercedes-Benz Stadium felt alive again in 2024. If the team can stay consistent, "The Benz" will become a nightmare for visiting teams again.
- The NFC South is a toss-up. Every home divisional game in 2024 was decided by one score or went into overtime. Don't expect that to change in the coming years.
The 2024 home schedule wasn't the perfect fairytale fans wanted, but it was a massive step up from the stagnation of the previous three years. It was loud, it was stressful, and it was quintessentially Atlanta.