The Atlanta Falcons Week 1 contest against the New Orleans Falcons will provide them their first opportunity to see how far along or behind they are in their rebuilding process. The Falcons officially kicked the tires and decided to rebuild this offseason when they traded Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. Their rebuilding nature will definitely influence our Falcons Week 1 predictions for their matchup with the Saints.

Under center for the Falcons this season is Marcus Mariota. Mariota has flashed his potential as a starter throughout his career, and his solid play over the past two seasons as Derek Carr's backup with the Las Vegas Raiders helped him earn the Falcons starting gig. Mariota doesn't have a ton of help or expectations surrounding him on Atlanta's roster, but they could surprise some people this season.

Despite that, it's clear that the Falcons aren't going to be a playoff team this year, and that will probably be the case for the foreseeable future. That could result in a rough start to their season against a much improved Saints squad. Let's roll into our four bold Falcons Week 1 predictions for their battle against the Saints.

4. Atlanta Falcons CBs A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward will excel in coverage

The Falcons defense has a lot of holes, but it looks like their cornerback room could be one of their best spots on that side of the ball. Atlanta's starting cornerback duo of A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward isn't the best in the league, but they prove to be a much better tandem than people will give them credit for.

Terrell earned All-Pro Second Team honors in just his second season in the league last year, while Hayward signed with the Falcons in free agency over the offseason. Both these guys will hold up well throughout the game as they rotate through the Saints top wide receiver trio of Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave. Heyward will have two pass breakups while Terell will have an interception, as Jameis Winston struggles to get the passing game going throughout the day.

3. Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts will pick up 120 receiving yards and a touchdown

Kyle Pitts had a phenomenal rookie season with the Falcons last year, and if he found his way into the end zone more than once, chances are people would have taken more notice of his play. Either way, Pitts seems set to be one of Mariota's top targets this season, and is likely to improve even given the state of the Falcons offense.

Pitts will draw a lot of attention from the Saints, but it won't be enough to slow him down. Pitts will pick up 120 receiving yards and a touchdown to have a very strong start to the season for Atlanta. This will certainly put the league on notice, as New Orleans' secondary is strong. But Pitts doesn't seem to care, and ends up putting together the first big game of his 2022 campaign.

2. Marcus Mariota throws for two touchdowns, but also throws two interceptions

Marcus Mariota's debut with the Falcons will be a bit of a mixed bag, which is how his career has been for the most part. Mariota will show flashes of his potential, but make a couple of errant throws that take away from all the other good things he has done along the way. That's what his Week 1 performance against the Saints will consist of.

Mariota will keep the Falcons in the game early, finding Pitts for a touchdown on the first drive of the game and then hitting Cordarrelle Patterson in the end zone to cap off a long drive in the second quarter. But aside from that, the offense will stall out for most of the day. Mariota will get intercepted by Marshon Lattimore and Demario Davis along the way, and all-in-all, Mariota's first performance in a Falcons uniform will leave a lot to be desired.

1. The Atlanta Falcons won't be too competitive against the New Orleans Saints, and end up losing 30-14

The Falcons will manage to hang around with the Saints early on, but that won't last too long. New Orleans will have a 17-14 lead at halftime, but they will score a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, which ends up taking most of the air out of the game.

The Falcons will put up a good fight against the Saints, but their secondary's strong play leaves fans wondering whether or not they should have actually been competitive in this game. This could end up being a building block for the Falcons, but they are going to have to figure out whether Mariota will be able to keep this team competitive in games throughout the season.