Coronavirus may have Atlanta Falcons Starting 2020 Season with No Fans

It took an extra few weeks, but NFL fans now have the schedule for the upcoming season. Whether they will be allowed to attend the games beginning in September remains a question.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio proposed that possibility in an article early in May and reported that the NFL is aiming to have fans attend games starting in Week 1 due to competitive reasons. If the season starts with no crowds and then moves to a stage where fans are allowed to attend, teams that began the season with more home games would face a competitive disadvantage.

The Atlanta Falcons will face a difficult schedule in 2020, but, more than likely, they will not face this issue. The Falcons rotate home and away contests for the first 10 weeks of the year before finally playing two straight games at Mercedes Benz Stadium right after Thanksgiving.

The one scenario where the Falcons will be impacted from no fans attending games in the first part of the season is if the league decides to change its no-crowd policy after an odd week. Although anything seems possible this year, it doesn't seem likely the NFL will allow crowds after an odd number of games have been played because in that situation, Atlanta would not be the only team with a competitive disadvantage.

Yet another wrinkle that the coronavirus has presented the NFL this season -- it's possible that teams with more home games at the end of 2020 will see a competitive advantage.

As of Tuesday night, more than 82,000 people have died in the United States from COVID-19. To stop the spread of the coronavirus, follow the CDC guidelines.

Despite businesses opening up in Georgia and around the country, Holcomb also encourages Falcons to stay at home whenever possible.