2011 Atlanta Falcons season

2011 Atlanta Falcons season
2011 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Arthur Blank
Head coach	Mike Smith
General manager	Thomas Dimitroff
Home field	Georgia Dome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd NFC South
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Giants) 2–24
Pro Bowlers	TE Tony Gonzalez ; WR Roddy White
	← 2010; Falcons seasons; 2012 →;

The 2011 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League and the fourth under head coach Mike Smith.

Finishing the regular season 10–6, the Falcons clinched the #5 seed in the playoffs. Atlanta's season ended quickly as they lost 24–2 to the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants in the opening round.

This is also the first time the franchise clinched consecutive playoff berths, and the first time it won ten or more games in consecutive seasons.

Offseason[]

Signings[]

Pos.	Player	2010 Team	Contract
DE	Ray Edwards	Minnesota Vikings	5 years, $27.5 million
OLB	Stephen Nicholas	Atlanta Falcons	5 years, $17.5 million
K	Matt Bryant	Atlanta Falcons	4 years, $10.7 million

Departures[]

Pos.	Player	2011 Team
WR	Michael Jenkins	Minnesota Vikings
DE	Jamaal Anderson	Indianapolis Colts
WR	Brian Finneran

2011 NFL Draft[]

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	6	Julio Jones	Wide Receiver	Alabama
3	91	Akeem Dent	Inside Linebacker	Georgia
5	158	Jacquizz Rogers	Running Back	Oregon State
6	192	Matt Bosher	Punter	Miami (FL)
7	210 ^[a]	Andrew Jackson	Offensive Guard	Fresno State
7	230 ^[b]	Cliff Matthews	Defensive End	South Carolina

^{^[a]} The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection and a 2010 sixth-round selection in a trade that sent CB Chris Houston to the Detroit Lions.

^{^[b]} The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection in a trade that sent T Quinn Ojinnaka to the New England Patriots.

Preseason[]

Schedule[]

The Falcons' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 12	Miami Dolphins	L 23–28	0–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	August 19	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 13–15	0–2	EverBank Field	Recap
3	August 27	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 16–34	0–3	Heinz Field	Recap
4	September 1	Baltimore Ravens	L 7–21	0–4	Georgia Dome	Recap

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 11	at Chicago Bears	L 12–30	0–1	Soldier Field	Recap
2	September 18	Philadelphia Eagles	W 35–31	1–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
3	September 25	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–16	1–2	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	October 2	at Seattle Seahawks	W 30–28	2–2	CenturyLink Field	Recap
5	October 9	Green Bay Packers	L 14–25	2–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
6	October 16	Carolina Panthers	W 31–17	3–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 23	at Detroit Lions	W 23–16	4–3	Ford Field	Recap
8	Bye
9	November 6	at Indianapolis Colts	W 31–7	5–3	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
10	November 13	New Orleans Saints	L 23–26 (OT)	5–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
11	November 20	Tennessee Titans	W 23–17	6–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
12	November 27	Minnesota Vikings	W 24–14	7–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
13	December 4	at Houston Texans	L 10–17	7–5	Reliant Stadium	Recap
14	December 11	at Carolina Panthers	W 31–23	8–5	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
15	December 15	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 41–14	9–5	Georgia Dome	Recap
16	December 26	at New Orleans Saints	L 16–45	9–6	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Recap
17	January 1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 45–24	10–6	Georgia Dome	Recap

Game summaries[]

Week 1: at Chicago Bears[]

Week One: Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	0	3	6	12
Bears	10	6	14	0	30

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: September 11
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 76 °F or 24.4 °C (Partly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 62,115
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

showGame information

The Falcons started their season out on the road against the Bears. With the loss, the team fell to 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles[]

Week Two: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	10	21	0	31
Falcons	7	7	7	14	35

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: September 18
Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 69,608
Referee: Carl Cheffers
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

showGame information

For the regular season opener at home, the Falcons faced the Eagles. The win improved the team to 1–1 and also helped Starting QB Matt Ryan improve to 4–0 as a regular season starter during home openers.

Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	3	0	10	13
Buccaneers	3	10	3	0	16

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Date: September 25
Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 89 °F or 31.7 °C (Rain)
Game attendance: 46,995
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin

showGame information

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1–2.

Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks[]

Week Four: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	17	3	3	30
Seahawks	0	7	14	7	28

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Date: October 2
Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 58 °F or 14.4 °C (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 66,266
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (Fox): Craig Bolerjack and John Lynch

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–2.

Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers[]

Week Five: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	6	9	10	25
Falcons	7	7	0	0	14

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: October 9
Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 69,576
Referee: Jeff Triplette
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

showGame information

The Falcons went home for a week 5 duel with the undefeated Packers. This would be a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Round. With the loss, the Falcons fell to 2–3.

Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers[]

Week Six: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	3	7	7	0	17
Falcons	7	7	0	17	31

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: October 16
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 69,047
Referee: Pete Morelli
TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and John Lynch

showGame information

With their 3rd-straight win over the Panthers, the Falcons improved to 3–3.

Week 7: at Detroit Lions[]

Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	10	7	3	3	23
Lions	3	3	10	0	16

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Date: October 23
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 63,625
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
Recap
Gamebook

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons went into their bye week at 4–3.

Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts[]

Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	14	7	7	3	31
Colts	0	7	0	0	7

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Date: November 6
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 57 °F or 13.9 °C (sunny, retractable roof open)
Game attendance: 65,218
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr.
^{[citation needed]}

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3 and went 2–13 overall against the Colts.

Week 10: vs. New Orleans Saints[]

Week Ten: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Saints	3	7	7	6	3	26
Falcons	3	3	7	10	0	23

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: November 13
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,359
Referee: Terry McAulay
TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
^{[citation needed]}

showGame information

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 5–4.

Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans[]

Week Eleven: Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Titans	0	3	7	7	17
Falcons	7	6	10	0	23

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: November 20
Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST^[1]
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 68,164
Referee: John Parry
TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 6–4.

Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings[]

Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	0	7	7	14
Falcons	7	10	0	7	24

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: November 27
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 68,115
Referee: Alberto Riveron
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 7–4.

Week 13: at Houston Texans[]

Week Thirteen: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	3	7	0	10
Texans	3	7	0	7	17

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: December 4
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
Game attendance: 71,545
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

showGame information

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 7–5.

Week 14: at Carolina Panthers[]

Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	0	10	14	31
Panthers	7	16	0	0	23

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Date: December 11
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 43 °F or 6.1 °C (Sunny)
Game attendance: 72,680
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr. and

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 8–5.

Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars[]

Week Fifteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	0	7	7	14
Falcons	10	17	14	0	41

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: December 15
Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 68,856
Referee: Ron Winter
TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 9–5.

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints[]

Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	10	0	3	3	16
Saints	7	14	10	14	45

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: December 26
Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,086
Referee: Jeff Triplette
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Suzy Kolber

showGame information

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 9–6, but were able to clinch a playoff spot due to the Chicago Bears 35–21 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

Week Seventeen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	7	11	6	24
Falcons	21	21	0	3	45

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: January 1
Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST^[2]
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 68,167
Referee: Scott Green
TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton & John Lynch

showGame information

With the win, the Falcons finished the season at 10–6 and captured the NFC's #5 seed.

Standings[]

NFC South
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ New Orleans Saints	13	3	0	.813	5–1	9–3	547	339	W8
⁽⁵⁾ Atlanta Falcons	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	402	350	W1
Carolina Panthers	6	10	0	.375	2–4	3–9	406	427	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	12	0	.250	2–4	3–9	307	494	L10

Postseason[]

Schedule[]

Playoff round	Date	Kickoff	Opponent (seed)	Results		Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
Playoff round	Date	Kickoff	Opponent (seed)	Final score	Team record	Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	January 8, 2012	1:00 p.m. EST	at New York Giants (4)	L 2–24	0–1	MetLife Stadium	Fox	Recap

Game summaries[]

NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: at #4 New York Giants[]

NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	2	0	0	2
Giants	0	7	10	7	24

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: January 8, 2012
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C), Partly Cloudy
Game attendance: 79,909
Referee: Carl Cheffers
TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver

showGame information

The Falcons lost their Wild Card round playoff game to the New York Giants on January 8, 2012, by a score of 24–2. It is the first time in NFL playoff history that a team has scored exactly two points. The previous NFL team to score only a safety in a game was the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 against the New England Patriots.

Staff[]

Atlanta Falcons 2011 staff

Front Office

Owner – Arthur Blank
President/CEO – Rich McKay
General Manager – Thomas Dimitroff
Director of Football Administration –
Director of Player Personnel – Les Snead
Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Lionel Vital
Director of College Scouting – Dave Caldwell

Head Coaches

Head Coach – Mike Smith

Offensive Coaches

Offensive Coordinator – Mike Mularkey
Quarterbacks – Bob Bratkowski
Running Backs – Gerald Brown
Wide Receivers – Terry Robiskie
Tight Ends – Chris Scelfo
Offensive Line – Paul T Boudreau
Assistant Offensive Line – Paul Dunn
Offensive Assistant – Glenn Thomas
Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense –

Defensive Coaches

Defensive Coordinator – Brian VanGorder
Defensive Line – Ray Hamilton
Linebackers – Glenn Pires
Defensive Backs – Alvin Reynolds
Secondary – Tim Lewis
Defensive Assistant –

Special Teams Coaches

Special Teams Coordinator – Keith Armstrong
Assistant Special Teams –

Strength and Conditioning

Director of Athletic Performance –
Strength and Conditioning Assistant –

Final roster[]

**2011 Atlanta Falcons final roster**

	Quarterbacks 8 Chris Redman 2 Matt Ryan 4 John Parker Wilson Running backs 42 Mike Cox FB 22 Jacquizz Rodgers 35 Antone Smith 44 Jason Snelling 33 Michael Turner Wide receivers 12 Kevin Cone 83 Harry Douglas 11 Julio Jones 80 Kerry Meier 14 Eric Weems RS 84 Roddy White Tight ends 88 Tony Gonzalez 89 Reggie Kelly 81 Michael Palmer		Offensive linemen 72 Sam Baker T 63 Justin Blalock G 73 Kirk Chambers T 77 Tyson Clabo T 61 Joe Hawley C 62 Todd McClure C 75 Garrett Reynolds G 66 Brett Romberg C 74 Will Svitek T Defensive linemen 55 John Abraham DE 95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 71 Kroy Biermann DE 93 Ray Edwards DE 94 Peria Jerry DT 98 Cliff Matthews DE 91 Corey Peters DT 90 Lawrence Sidbury DE 99 Vance Walker DT		Linebackers 59 Spencer Adkins OLB 52 Akeem Dent MLB 51 Robert James OLB 50 Curtis Lofton MLB 54 Stephen Nicholas OLB 56 Sean Weatherspoon OLB Defensive backs 28 Thomas DeCoud FS 24 Dominique Franks CB 20 Brent Grimes CB 25 William Moore SS 21 Chris Owens CB 23 Dunta Robinson CB 36 James Sanders SS 39 Shann Schillinger FS 29 Darrin Walls CB Special teams 5 Matt Bosher P 3 Matt Bryant K 82 Joe Zelenka LS		Reserve lists 26 Kelvin Hayden CB (IR) 79 Mike Johnson G (IR) 34 Ovie Mughelli FB (IR) 53 Mike Peterson OLB (IR) Practice squad 85 Marquez Branson TE (Injured) 19 Drew Davis (football player) WR 87 Tommy Gallarda TE 30 Matt Hansen SS/OLB 69 Andrew Jackson G (Injured) 67 OT 97 Carlton Powell DT 41 FS 65 Jose Valdez OT 86 Ryan Winterswyk TE Rookies in italics 53 active, 4 inactive, 10 practice squad

References[]

^ Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Titans game flexed". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
^ Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Bucs Game 'Flexed' to 4:15 Kick". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-07. Retrieved 2011-12-24.

[Titans-1] Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Titans game flexed". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2011-11-08.

[TB-2] Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Bucs Game 'Flexed' to 4:15 Kick". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-07. Retrieved 2011-12-24.

[a]

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show v t Atlanta Falcons
Founded in 1966 Based in Atlanta, Georgia Headquartered in Flowery Branch, Georgia
Franchise	Franchise Team history Seasons Players Quarterbacks Head coaches Expansion draft Draft history First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Georgia Dome Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Culture	Rankin M. Smith Sr. Arthur Blank Freddie Falcon Cheerleaders The "Dirty Bird" (dance) "2 Legit 2 Quit"
Lore	Grits Blitz Gary Anderson's missed field goal Michael Vick dog fighting investigation 28–3
Rivalries	Carolina Panthers New Orleans Saints
Wild card / First round berths (8)	1978 1982 1991 1995 2002 2008 2011 2017
Division championships (6)	1980 1998 2004 2010 2012 2016
Conference championships (2)	1998 2016
Ring of Honor	10 21 31 42 57 58 60 78 84 87
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division
Category

show v t Atlanta Falcons seasons
1960s	1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance