2021 Giants Opponent Preview: Atlanta Falcons

The Giants will host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the regular season. Let's take a look at what the Falcons have brewing as far as storylines and concerns that could come into play in that game.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 14, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

Eli Manning Day will be Sunday, September 26, 1 p.m. ET, at MetLife Stadium, a day in which Manning's jersey will officially be retired, and he will be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.

Oh, and the Giants will be hosting the Atlanta Falcons that Day in a Week 3 meeting, which has a little historical significance tied into Manning.

Manning made his first NFL start against the Falcons on November 21, 2004, a 14-10 loss. But years later, Manning and the Giants would bury the Falcons in the NFC Wild Card game on January 8, 2012, the only playoff victory Manning recorded at home during his 16-year NFL career.

History and sentimental feelings aside, the Week 3 game with the Falcons is a big one in itself since it is a conference game.

Atlanta has won the last two and three of the previous four games in the series and holds a 13-11 advantage all-time in the regular-season matchups against the Giants.

This will be the Falcons' first meeting with the Giants since Monday night, October 22, 2018, when the Falcons won, 23-20, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the first game played between the two teams at MetLife Stadium since September 20, 2015, a 24-20 Giants loss.

From 1981-2007, the visiting team won 12 consecutive games in the series, the longest such streak in NFL history. That included seven Giants victories in Atlanta.

The Falcons are coming off a 4-12 season, which has resulted in a turnover of their coaching staff. The Falcons will also be entering the season without superstar receiver Julio Jones, who was traded to the Tennessee Titans earlier this off-season.

On a recent LockedOn Giants podcast, Aaron Freeman, host of the LockedOn Falcons podcast, checked in to provide the lowdown on several topics. Among the areas discussed include how the Arthur Smith era has begun, the ramifications following the trade of Jones, the quarterback play of Matt Ryan, and the most prominent question marks hovering over the Falcons' heads as they get ready to roll into training camp.

(Aaron's spot starts around the 12:30 mark.)

We have a new opponent preview every day (but only one preview for each of the NFC East teams) until we get to the last one (Chicago), with each preview featuring insight from a beat reporter who covers the team. So be sure to check out the previews as they come out!

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