The Atlanta Falcons are getting a ton of buzz for the 2023 NFL season. The Falcons Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers starts the franchise's attempt to break a five-year playoff drought. Ahead of the Falcons-Panthers game, we’ll be making our Falcons Week 1 predictions.

There are several reasons why so many preseason predictions include Atlanta winning the NFC North and making noise in the playoffs. Tom Brady's retirement opened the door for a new team to catapult to the top of the division. Outside of the top three teams, the NFC is considered to be a weak conference. Coming off a 7-10 campaign, the Falcons added star players on both sides of the ball.

The Falcons signed Jessie Bates to a four-year, $64 million contract, making one of the biggest splashes in free agency. A few weeks later, Atlanta drafted Bijan Robinson. Robinson might be the best offensive player in the 2023 draft class, and he joins a Falcons' offense that ranked third in rushing yards last season. Desmond Ridder is a major question mark at quarterback after taking over for Marcus Mariota.

Ridder isn't any more of an unknown than the Panthers' signal caller. Bryce Young projects to be a better quarterback than Ridder over the long haul, but no one knows how the No. 1 overall pick will perform in his first meaningful NFL game. Atlanta is in a much better position to have a big 2023 than Carolina, and it's reflected in our Falcons Week 1 predictions.

Note that these are bold Falcons predictions. It's a long shot that all three predictions will come to fruition, yet the outcomes are more likely than the odds would suggest.

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3. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson will have 100-plus rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns

It won't take longer than Week 1 for Robinson to show why a team with one of the NFL's best ground attacks drafted a running back with the No. 8 overall pick. Robinson was an absolute monster at Texas, averaging 6.3 yards per carry in three seasons. The Falcons' running back ran for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season with the Longhorns.

Robinson's over/under for rushing yards in the 2023 season is 1,100.5 yards at FanDuel Sportsbook. Going over that total would require Robinson to average at least 65 rushing yards for 17 games. The biggest impediment to Robinson having 100-yard rushing games is Atlanta's crowded running back room. Tyler Allgeier was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 and Cordarrelle Patterson averaged 11 carries per game last season.

None of that will matter when Robinson is running all over the Panthers' defense in the Falcons' Week 1 game.

2. Falcons will hold Panthers QB Bryce Young to fewer than 175 yards passing

Maybe Young will become one of the NFL's top quarterbacks at some point. Given what Carolina did in the offseason and then in the preseason, the Panthers' quarterback isn't exactly in a great position to explode onto the scene in Week 1.

The Panthers traded their best wide receiver to the Chicago Bears in order to draft Young. Adam Thielen is Young's top receiver and five years removed from his last 1,000-yard season. DJ Chark Jr, Carolina's No. 2 receiver, is dealing with an injury ahead of the Week 1 matchup with the Falcons. Atlanta's secondary could be much improved from last year. Bates was an important addition. AJ Terrell, a 2021 Second-Team All-Pro selection, could be in line for a bounce-back season.

A sub-175-yard passing game is more likely than it might seem. Young's over/under of 3,200.5 passing yards for the season translates to 188.2 passing yards per game. In his second NFL game after being drafted first overall in 2021, Trevor Lawrence was held to just 118 passing yards. It would only make sense for Young to have a shaky debut on the road against a tough divisional opponent.

1. Atlanta Falcons will beat the Carolina Panthers by at least 14 points

The Falcons are not one of the biggest Week 1 favorites. They should be. Atlanta is only laying 3.5 points at home against Carolina Sunday afternoon. The betting line suggests that the Falcons are only slightly better than the Panthers. There won't be any confusion about where the two NFC South teams rank after the Falcons' Week 1 victory.

Atlanta's rushing attack will control the game. Ridder might struggle throughout the course of the season, but he won't be asked to carry the team Sunday. Drake London and Kyle Pitts will cause problems for Carolina's defense. Expect Young to look like a rookie who could use a lot more help around him.

The Falcons have +285 odds to beat the Panthers by 14 points or more at FanDuel. It might be a bet worth making.