1980 NFC Divisional Playoff

Lore & Background

The Falcons were founded on June 30, 1965, with the NFL awarding Atlanta a football team to prevent the franchise from joining the rival American Football League. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership of the team to businessman Rankin Smith, beginning play in the 1966 season as an expansion team. The name 'Falcons' was suggested by high school teacher Julia Elliott through a 1965 contest. Smith remained as the owner of the Falcons until his death in 1997, with ownership of the team then transferring to his son Taylor. Taylor Smith reached a preliminary agreement with businessman Arthur Blank to purchase the team on December 6, 2001. The sale was finalized on February 2, 2002, following a unanimous vote by NFL owners.

Reader's Guide

Since the team's inception, it has been based in Atlanta, playing their home games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium since 2017. They previously played home games at the Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (1966–1991) and the Georgia Dome (1992–2016). The Falcons began play in the Eastern Conference of the NFL, before moving to the Coastal division in the Western Conference. Following the 1970 NFL realignment, the team moved to the NFC West division. The team moved for the third and final time to the NFC South division following the 2002 NFL realignment.

Did You Know?

• The Falcons have appeared in two Super Bowl championships—Super Bowl XXXIII and Super Bowl LI—losing to the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, respectively.
• The Falcons have won the NFC Championship twice and a division title six times, winning the NFC West twice (1978 and 1998) and the NFC South four times (2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016).
• Over their 59 seasons in the NFL, the Falcons have accumulated a record of 390 wins, 512 losses, and 6 ties.