The NFL released its complete schedule for the 2025 season on Wednesday. Here is the blockbuster game (and another intriguing matchup) for every team in the NFC South.
BLOCKBUSTER GAME: at Minnesota Vikings, Sept. 14 (Week 2): One of two Sunday prime-time games on Atlanta’s schedule, this one should pit the two most unproven quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in a class that also included standouts Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Drake Maye and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., last year’s No. 8 overall pick, is Atlanta’s QB1 ahead of the 2025 season after starting in Weeks 16-18. J.J. McCarthy is atop the Vikings quarterback depth chart after the No. 10 selection of the 2024 NFL Draft missed all of last season following a torn meniscus during training camp.
ALSO INTRIGUING: vs. Los Angeles Rams, Dec. 29 (Week 17) | If the Falcons want to make noise this season after being irrelevant for the most of the past decade, they’ll need to notch some signature wins along the way. The Rams should be among the NFC’s best teams, making this late-season game potentially insightful in determining whether Atlanta is a contender or still a pretender.
BLOCKBUSTER GAME: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sept. 7 (Week 1): Two former No. 1 overall picks, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, are set to meet in a game that will set the tone for each’s pivotal 2025.
Lawrence is on his third coach, Liam Coen, in five seasons, while Young must make another leap in 2025 under second-year coach Dave Canales for Carolina to feel comfortable picking up his fifth-year option before the May 2026 deadline.
This game has the added weight of being the Panthers’ first since New Year’s Eve 2023, when owner David Tepper infamously threw a drink on a Jaguars fan after a humiliating 26-0 loss. Will he throw nachos if Carolina loses this time? Stay tuned!
ALSO INTRIGUING: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Sept. 21 (Week 3): The Panthers have split the season series with their division foe the past five seasons, including a 44-38 Week 18 overtime win last season. Facing Falcons running back Bijan Robinson will be a valuable litmus test for Carolina’s defense, which added defensive tackles Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton in free agency, after ranking last against the run in 2024.
BLOCKBUSTER GAME: vs Arizona Cardinals, Sept. 7 (Week 1): The Saints are arguably the league’s least attractive team. NFL schedule makers agree, as for the first time since 2000, the organization was omitted from the prime-time schedule.
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