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NFL schedule release: 10 best games of 2017

By John Buhler

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis (33) against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins (32) during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis (33) against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins (32) during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 22, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) at the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) at the line of scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter in the 2017 NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons

The NFC North and the NFC South will play each other in the intra-conference divisional rotation this season. That’s mean we will have a rematch of the 2016 NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons on the slate.

These two NFC foes met twice last season in Atlanta. The Falcons won a regular season thriller where Atlanta beat Green Bay 33-32 shortly before Aaron Rodgers instructed his team to run the table. Green Bay would win 10 games in a row before getting throttled in the final game at the Georgia Dome in the NFC Championship, 44-21.

The Georgia Dome was a house of horrors for the Packers, but how will they look in brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium next door? Atlanta will play its first season in its new stadium in 2017, one it will share with the MLS’ Atlanta United FC. Mercedes-Benz Stadium could challenge AT&T Stadium in Arlington as the crown jewel of NFL stadiums.

Packers at Falcons will feature two of the best signal callers in the game today in Rodgers for Free Bay and 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan for the Falcons. Atlanta’s defense improved in the second half of the season, but we should expect a total barn-burner in this regular season affair.

Could it foreshadow a potential rematch in the NFC Playoffs? Green Bay will presumably be there, as the Packers are the crème de la crème of the NFC North. However, Atlanta had missed the NFC Playoffs the three seasons prior to 2016 in the NFC South, perhaps the best quarterbacked division in football.

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