The 2024 NFL schedule will officially be released Wednesday night, but the Atlanta Falcons’ first-three matchups appear finalized.
The Falcons are slated to begin the season at home for the fourth-consecutive season, hosting former head coach Arthur Smith and the Pittsburgh Steelers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Smith, who was fired Jan. 8 after three seasons at the helm, and a quartet of former Falcons – running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tight end MyCole Pruitt and receivers Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson – will return to Atlanta on Sept. 8.
Thereafter, the immediate road only gets tougher for the Falcons.
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Atlanta is slated to travel to Philadelphia for a primetime matchup with the Eagles on Monday Night Football, coming Sept. 16, before returning home to face Patrick Mahomes the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 22, according to WSB Ch. 2.
The contest against Kansas City is expected to be on Sunday Night Football, per 11Alive’s Maria Martin. It marks Atlanta’s first such game since 2019, while its Monday Night Football appearance will be the first since 2020. The team played no primetime games last season.
The Falcons have the easiest strength of schedule based on projected win totals, per Sharp Football Analysis, but their seeing no such glimpses of ease to kick off Raheem Morris’s first season back on the sidelines.
Morris, however, said Tuesday he isn’t particularly concerned with the schedule release.
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“A little less exciting probably for coaches because we’re always one game at a time anyway,” Morris said. “But it’s always exciting just for the National Football League just in general. We found a way to make another event and I know it’s exciting for you guys and it’s exciting for us to be out and doing those things and exciting for our community, more importantly and all of our guys.”
The Falcons’ full 17-game schedule will be announced at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
There are two matches at the Truist Atlanta Open today, the best being No. 89-ranked Juncheng Shang versus No. 41 Jordan Thompson. Looking to stay up to date on the action? The Tennis Channel will have live coverage and highlights from the entire world of tennis during Center Court and Center Court Live.
Truist Atlanta Open key details
Tournament: The Truist Atlanta Open
Round: Semifinals
Date: July 27
Venue: Atlantic Station
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Court Surface: Hard
Watch the Tennis Channel and more sports on Fubo!
Match of the day: Juncheng Shang vs. Jordan Thompson
Start time: 3:00 PM ET
Round: Semifinal
Through 11 tournaments this year, Shang is 20-11 and has yet to win a title.
Thompson has won one tournament this year, putting up an overall 20-15 match record.
Truist Atlanta Open schedule today
Juncheng Shang vs. Jordan Thompson, 3:00 PM ET (Semifinal)
Yoshihito Nishioka vs. Arthur Rinderknech, 7:00 PM ET (Semifinal)
Truist Atlanta Open results yesterday
Jordan Thompson def. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 (Quarterfinal)
Juncheng Shang def. Max Purcell 7-6, 6-4 (Quarterfinal)
Arthur Rinderknech def. Mattia Bellucci 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 (Quarterfinal)
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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A man is in custody in connection with a fatal shooting outside an Atlanta gas station, according to police.
Antonio Dean, 34, was arrested and charged with shooting and killing a man outside the Chevron gas station at 639 Morosgo Drive NE early Thursday.
Police said Dean was a security guard and got into a dispute with the victim before running away.
Dean is charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The 49-55 San Francisco Giants look like sellers as the MLB Trade Deadline approaches. For a team like the Atlanta Braves looking for options to bolster the roster, this could spell a potential trade partner.
Two key additions to the team would be an outfield bat and a starting pitcher, both of which the Giants have a few options to check in on.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell is reportedly drawing interest as the deadline approaches.
Snell struggled in each of his first six starts before going down with a left groin strain – he had a 9.51 ERA at the time he landed on the IL. But it’s possible that high ERA was entirely due to his injury.
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In three starts since returning, Snell has a 1.00 ERA (two earned runs in 18 innings of work).
If his recent performance is truly what Snell would bring to the table, the Braves shouldn’t be shy about accepting his contract – two years, $62 million. The second year is a player option, so he might end up being just a rental.
The early-season performance plus the contract situation could be leverage for the Braves to give up less in a deal than if they made the move last season – the year he won the NL Cy Young.
Another starter option is impending free agent Alex Cobb. The 36-year-old righty is in the final year of his contract and has yet to pitch this season due to injury. However, according to The Athletic, he’s expected to make his debut on Sunday. If he comes back and is effective out of the gate, he could prove to be a cheaper rental option for the Braves.
Cobb is making $10 million this year, and the Braves would only owe part of that. Flip the Giants a quality minor leaguer and that could be all it takes to land Cobb.
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In 74 starts over his previous three seasons, Cobb has a respectable 3.74 ERA.
A Giants outfielder with a high likelihood of being traded is Michael Conforto. The Braves saw plenty of him when he was with the New York Mets from 2015 to 2021. The old foe could become a key addition.
In 80 games this season, Conforto is batting .226 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. His average and on-base percentage are both down, but his power numbers make up for that (.415 slugging this season versus a .386 slugging in 2022). His 105 OPS+ is also still better than any outfielder that has played for the Braves this season.
Although not a big move, Conforto could be the right move for the Braves outfield.
Now, there’s another outfield option from the Giants that fans would get excited about that has shown to be the right move in the past. That option is 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler.
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But his contract will be an obstacle.
He’s in the first year of a three-year, $42 million contract. The only likely way a Soler trade would be worthwhile for the Braves is if the Giants retained a good chunk of his contract. It could be argued that that’s more important than how much the Braves actually give up in the deal — because it wouldn’t take high-end talent to land Soler.
If the Giants are willing to retain salary, then the Braves could have a reunion with a key name. Should the change of scenery help Soler, then whatever the Braves owe could be a steal on top of it.
