Atlanta Falcons

Lore & Background

The Falcons have compiled a record of 398–512–6 (398–512–6 in the regular season and 10–14 in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016. They have appeared in two Super Bowls, the first during the 1998 season in Super Bowl XXXIII, where they lost to the Denver Broncos 34–19, and the second 18 years later, a 34–28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. They are the oldest major professional sports team in America with no championships. Their current home field is Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened for the 2017 season; the team's headquarters and practice facilities are located at a 50-acre site in Flowery Branch, northeast of Atlanta in Hall County.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium was thick with tension as the fourth quarter wound down in Week 11. The scoreboard showed a tie game, forcing overtime. On the sideline, Falcons fans clutched their breaths, eyes locked on the gridiron where Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, despite being escorted to the locker room late in the first quarter with a right ankle injury, completed 31-of-45 passes for 448 yards and three touchdowns. His 448 passing yards set a Panthers franchise record for the most passing yards in a single game. The roar that erupted from the Panthers sideline was not just for a win; it was the sound of a season-long struggle finally tipping in their favor, securing the first sweep of Atlanta since 2013.

Reader's Guide

The Falcons' inaugural season was in 1966. Their first preseason game was on August 1, a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Under head coach Norb Hecker, Atlanta lost their first nine regular-season games in 1966; their first victory came on the road against the struggling New York Giants on November 20 in Yankee Stadium. The team finished with a 1–12–1 record the next year. After a 0–3 start to the 1968 season, Hecker was dismissed. Norm Van Brocklin finished out the season as head coach with a 2–9 record. The team improved to a 6–8 record in 1969. The Falcons had their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season, a 20–7 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The only two winning seasons in their first 12 years were 1971 (7–6–1) and 1973 (9–5). In the 1978 season, the 9–7 Falcons qualified for the playoffs for the first time and won the Wild Card game against the Eagles 14–13. The following week, they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27–20 in the Divisional Playoffs. In the 1980 season, after a nine-game winning streak, the Falcons posted a franchise then-best record of 12–4 and captured their first NFC West division title. The next week, their dream season ended at home with a loss to the Cowboys 30–27 in the divisional playoffs. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, the 5–4 Falcons made the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 30–24. Falcons coach Leeman Bennett was fired after the loss. In the 1989 NFL draft, the Falcons selected cornerback Deion Sanders in the first round. After defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game, the Falcons' 1991 season ended in a divisional playoff loss to the Washington Redskins. In the 1991 NFL draft, the Falcons selected quarterback Brett Favre as the 33rd overall pick. During his rookie season, he played in two games where he amassed a record of four passing attempts with no receptions and two interceptions. The following February, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers. In 1992, the Atlanta Falcons opened a new chapter in their history moving into the newly constructed Georgia Dome. In 1998, under recently acquired head coach Dan Reeves, quarterback Chris Chandler and running back Jamal Anderson the 'Dirty Bird' Falcons had their greatest season to date. On November 8, they beat the New England Patriots 41–10, ending a streak of 22 losses at cold-weather sites. The team finished with a franch

Did You Know?

• The Falcons were founded on June 30, 1965, and joined the NFL in 1966 as an expansion team.
• The Falcons have appeared in two Super Bowls, losing both: Super Bowl XXXIII to the Denver Broncos and Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots.
• The Falcons are the oldest major professional sports team in America with no championships.
• The team's nickname 'Falcons' was suggested by Miss Julia Elliott, a school teacher from Griffin, Georgia.