Matt Ryan Quarterback Core
2012 Atlanta Falcons: A historic 8–0 start and a return to the NFC Championship.
The 2012 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 47th in the National Football League (NFL) and the fifth under head coach Mike Smith.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Franchise Quarterback & Offensive Leader
- Affiliation
- Atlanta Falcons (2008–2021)
- First appears
- 2008 NFL Draft (Round 1, Pick 3)
- Status
- Traded to Indianapolis Colts (March 2022); Retired from the NFL (2024)
- Key achievement
- Franchise All-Time Passing Leader
Lore & Background
Atlanta started the season 8–0, a franchise best for a start to a season. By beating the Detroit Lions during Week 16, the Falcons clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC for the second time in three years, and made it to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2004, where they lost 28–24 against the San Francisco 49ers. It was the third straight year in which they did not lose two consecutive regular season games.
Reader's Guide
The Falcons did not have a first- or fourth-round selection in the 2012 draft. The team traded its first and fourth-round selections, as well as its first-, second-, and fourth-round selections in 2011 to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Cleveland's first round selection in 2011, used to select wide receiver Julio Jones. The team also traded its original seventh-round selection (#229 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for cornerback Asante Samuel.
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