The Atlanta Falcons still had an offense to be feared in 2014, but opposing offenses absolutely loved facing their D. They gave up the most yards in the NFL and were in the bottom five against both the run and the pass. They finished the season just 6-10 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

The Falcons' 2015 opponents were just 104-150-2 last season, so they have a decent chance of moving up in the standings, especially if they fix some of their defensive issues.

Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts

Away: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

Here are three of the matchups to keep an eye on:

New Orleans Saints: No matter how well or poorly these two teams are playing, the Saints and the Falcons usually put on very entertaining games. They both are offensive-minded and put up a ton of yards, so the majority of their games are shootouts. New Orleans won both of these games last year, but the Falcons are 6-4 against them since 2010.

Dallas Cowboys: The Falcons don't have the toughest road opponents this season, so it would mean a lot towards their playoff chances if they can upset the Cowboys in Dallas. This game also has the potential to be a shootout as both teams were in the top 10 in total yardage last season.

Carolina Panthers: It is so hard to predict what is going to happen in the NFC South from year to year, which is why games like these are so important to both teams involved. Carolina has won the division two years in a row, so the Falcons will be looking to sweep them to give them a great chance of taking the division and returning to the postseason.

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald