Falcons can prove they’ve learned from Panthers loss in San Francisco

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — History has already repeated itself once this season.

Last year, in Week 2, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a prime-time game that most NFL experts predicted they’d lose. In Week 3, the Falcons then lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

This year, the Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings in a prime-time game that, again, most NFL experts predicted they’d lose. In Week 3, the Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers.

“Throw those stones,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said in Week 4.

Week 5 was the Falcons’ bye.

“You can take the Carolina game and you can throw it out the window,” Morris said in Week 6.

Week 7, however, presents the Falcons an opportunity to prove they’ve learned a lesson from the Panthers loss.

Atlanta is set to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday after a prime-time win against the Buffalo Bills, who most NFL experts predicted would be the victors. The Falcons can’t change their past, but they can use it to better dictate their future.

“You learn from those situations,” Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said. “You learn from how you deal with adversity, then you figure out how you deal with that success as well.”