2014 Atlanta Falcons season

2014 Atlanta Falcons season
2014 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Arthur Blank
Head coach	Mike Smith
General manager	Thomas Dimitroff
Home field	Georgia Dome
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	3rd NFC South
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	WR/RS Devin Hester ; WR Julio Jones ; QB Matt Ryan
	← 2013; Falcons seasons; 2015 →;

The 2014 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and the seventh under head coach Mike Smith. The Falcons were defeated by the Carolina Panthers in week 17, officially eliminating them from postseason contention for the second straight year.^[1] As a result, Smith was fired after his seventh year as head coach, after two straight years with a losing record.^[2]

The 2014 Atlanta Falcons were featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks.^[3]

2014 draft class[]

2014 Atlanta Falcons Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	6	Jake Matthews	Offensive tackle	Texas A&M
2	37	Ra'Shede Hageman	Defensive tackle	Minnesota
3	68	Dezmen Southward	Free safety	Wisconsin
4	103	Devonta Freeman	Running back	Florida State
4	139	Prince Shembo	Linebacker	Notre Dame
5	147	Ricardo Allen	Cornerback	Purdue
5	168	Marquis Spruill	Linebacker	Syracuse
6	None — see below
7	253	Yawin Smallwood	Linebacker	Connecticut
7	255	Tyler Starr	Linebacker	South Dakota

	Compensatory selection

Note: The Falcons traded their sixth- (No. 182 overall) and original seventh- (No. 220 overall) round selections to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' fifth-round selection (No. 168 overall).

Staff[]

**2014 Atlanta Falcons staff**

	Front office Owner/Chairman – Arthur Blank President/CEO – Rich McKay General Manager – Thomas Dimitroff Assistant General Manager – Scott Pioli Director of Player Personnel – Lionel Vital Director of Football Administration – Director of Pro Scouting – Director of College Scouting – Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Smith Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers – Terry Robiskie Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Dirk Koetter Quarterbacks – Glenn Thomas Running Backs – Gerald Brown Tight Ends – Chris Scelfo Offensive Line – Mike Tice Assistant Offensive Line – Wade Harman Offensive Assistant –			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Mike Nolan Defensive Line – Bryan Cox Inside Linebackers – Glenn Pires Outside Linebackers – Defensive Backs – Secondary – Tim Lewis Defensive Assistant – Andrew Thacker Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Keith Armstrong Assistant Special Teams – Strength and conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – Strength and Conditioning Assistant –

Final roster[]

**2014 Atlanta Falcons final roster**

	Quarterbacks 2 Matt Ryan 13 T. J. Yates Running backs 42 Patrick DiMarco FB 24 Devonta Freeman 39 Steven Jackson 32 Jacquizz Rodgers 34 Jerome Smith Wide receivers 19 Drew Davis 83 Harry Douglas 17 Devin Hester RS 11 Julio Jones 14 Eric Weems 84 Roddy White Tight ends 86 Bear Pascoe 80 Levine Toilolo		Offensive linemen 75 Jon Asamoah G 63 Justin Blalock G 68 Gabe Carimi T 69 Harland Gunn G 70 Jake Matthews T 73 Ryan Schraeder T 64 Jonathan Scott T 62 James Stone C Defensive linemen 95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 71 Kroy Biermann DE 93 Malliciah Goodman DE 77 Ra'Shede Hageman DT 99 Tyson Jackson DE 90 Stansly Maponga DE 94 Jonathan Massaquoi DE 98 Cliff Matthews DE 91 Corey Peters DT 96 Paul Soliai DT 50 Osi Umenyiora DE		Linebackers 59 Joplo Bartu ILB 53 Prince Shembo ILB 54 Tyler Starr OLB 52 Nate Stupar ILB 55 Paul Worrilow ILB Defensive backs 37 Ricardo Allen CB 28 Javier Arenas CB 29 Sean Baker SS 30 Charles Godfrey FS 36 Kemal Ishmael SS 20 Dwight Lowery FS 27 Robert McClain CB 41 Dezmen Southward FS 21 Desmond Trufant CB 26 Josh Wilson CB Special teams 5 Matt Bosher P 3 Matt Bryant K 47 Josh Harris LS		Reserve lists 23 Robert Alford CB (IR) 72 Sam Baker OT (IR) 61 Joe Hawley C (IR) 76 Lamar Holmes OT (IR) 79 Mike Johnson OL (IR) 66 Peter Konz C (IR) 25 William Moore S (IR) 22 Zeke Motta S (PUP) 35 Antone Smith RB (IR) 51 Marquis Spruill LB (IR) 56 Sean Weatherspoon LB (IR) Practice squad 40 DB 74 Reid Fragel OT 92 Ricky Havili-Heimuli DT 43 Jordan Mabin CB 18 Freddie Martino WR 85 Kyle Miller TE 89 Bernard Reedy WR 67 Adam Replogle OL 45 Jacques Smith OLB 33 Ronnie Wingo RB Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 inactive, 10 practice squad

Schedule[]

Preseason[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 8	Miami Dolphins	W 16–10	1–0	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	August 16	at Houston Texans	L 7–32	1–1	NRG Stadium	Recap
3	August 23	Tennessee Titans	L 17–24	1–2	Georgia Dome	Recap
4	August 28	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 24–14	2–2	EverBank Field	Recap

Regular season[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 7	New Orleans Saints	W 37–34 (OT)	1–0	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	September 14	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 10–24	1–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
3	September 18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 56–14	2–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
4	September 28	at Minnesota Vikings	L 28–41	2–2	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
5	October 5	at New York Giants	L 20–30	2–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
6	October 12	Chicago Bears	L 13–27	2–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 19	at Baltimore Ravens	L 7–29	2–5	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
8	October 26	Detroit Lions	L 21–22	2–6	Wembley Stadium (London, England)	Recap
9	Bye
10	November 9	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27–17	3–6	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
11	November 16	at Carolina Panthers	W 19–17	4–6	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
12	November 23	Cleveland Browns	L 24–26	4–7	Georgia Dome	Recap
13	November 30	Arizona Cardinals	W 29–18	5–7	Georgia Dome	Recap
14	December 8	at Green Bay Packers	L 37–43	5–8	Lambeau Field	Recap
15	December 14	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 20–27	5–9	Georgia Dome	Recap
16	December 21	at New Orleans Saints	W 30–14	6–9	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Recap
17	December 28	Carolina Panthers	L 3–34	6–10	Georgia Dome	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries[]

Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints[]

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

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Saints	6	14	0	14	0	34
Falcons	0	10	14	10	3	37

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: September 7
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,706
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

NO – 10:33 Shayne Graham 31-yard FG.
Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:27. (NO 3–0)
NO – 4:39 Shayne Graham 50-yard FG.
Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 3:59. (NO 6–0)

Second quarter

NO – 11:46 Khiry Robinson 2-yard run, Shayne Graham kick.
Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:10. (NO 13–0)
ATL – 4:06 Roddy White 2-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 14 plays, 80, yards, 7:40. (NO 13–7)
NO – 0:20 Brandin Cooks 3-yard TD pass from Drew Brees, Shayne Graham kick.
Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:46. (NO 20–7)
ATL – 0:00 Matt Bryant 40-yard FG.
Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 0:20. (NO 20–10)

Third quarter

ATL – 9:22 Levine Toilolo 1-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 5:38. (NO 20–17)
ATL – 0:21 Antone Smith 54-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:31. (ATL 24–20)

Fourth quarter

NO – 8:46 Mark Ingram 3-yard TD run, Shayne Graham kick.
Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:35. (NO 27–24)
ATL – 2:50 Jacquizz Rodgers 17-yard TD run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards, 3:26. (ATL 31–27)
NO – 1:20 Mark Ingram 3-yard TD run, Shayne Graham kick.
Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 1:30. (NO 34–31)
ATL – 0:00 Matt Bryant 51-yard FG.
Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 1:20. (TIE 34–34)

Overtime

ATL – 13:17 Matt Bryant 52-yard FG.
Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:32. (ATL 37–34)

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 29/42, 333 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
ATL – Matt Ryan – 31/43, 448 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT

Top rushers

NO – Mark Ingram – 13 CAR, 60 YDS
ATL – Steven Jackson – 12 CAR, 52 YDS

Top receivers

NO – Marques Colston – 5 REC, 110 YDS
ATL – Julio Jones – 7 REC, 116 YDS

Top tacklers

NO – Curtis Lofton – 10 TACKLES
ATL – Paul Worrilow – 15 TACKLES

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals[]

Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

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

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Date: September 14
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 58,574
Referee: Bill Vinovich
TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

CIN – 5:19 Mike Nugent 31-yard FG.
Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:57. (CIN 3–0)
ATL – 1:08 Matt Bryant 46-yard FG.
Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 4:11. (TIE 3–3)

Second quarter

CIN – 5:19 Giovani Bernard 4-yard run, Mike Nugent kick.
Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 5:20. (CIN 10–3)

Third quarter

CIN – 10:58 Mohamed Sanu 76-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton, Mike Nugent kick.
Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:12. (CIN 17–3)
CIN – 6:28 Jeremy Hill 1-yard run, Mike Nugent kick.
Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:14. (CIN 24–3)

Fourth quarter

ATL – 8:35 Julio Jones 14-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 3:59. (CIN 24–10)

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 24/44, 231 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 15/23, 252 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT

Top rushers

ATL – Steven Jackson – 11 CAR, 46 YDS
CIN – Giovani Bernard – 27 CAR, 90 YDS

Top receivers

ATL – Julio Jones – 7 REC, 88 YDS
CIN – Mohamed Sanu – 3 REC, 84 YDS

Top tacklers

ATL – Paul Worrilow – 14 TACKLES
CIN – Terence Newman – 10 TACKLES

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	0	0	14	14
Falcons	21	14	21	0	56

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: September 18
Game time: 8:25 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,318
Referee: Craig Wrolstad
TV announcers (CBS/NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

ATL – 12:03 Harry Douglas 3-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:57. (ATL 7–0)
ATL – 3:03 Julio Jones 8-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:14. (ATL 14–0)
ATL – 2:38 Kemal Ishmael 23-yard TD interception return, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 0:25. (ATL 21–0)

Second quarter

ATL – 14:53 Devin Hester 20-yard run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:55. (ATL 28–0)
ATL – 7:06 Devin Hester 62-yard punt return, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:44. (ATL 35–0)

Third quarter

ATL – 8:23 Julio Jones 40-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:39. (ATL 42–0)
ATL – 8:11 Steven Jackson 2-yard run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 1 play, 2 yards, 0:07. (ATL 49–0)
ATL – 1:47 Antone Smith 38-yard run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 5 play, 80 yards, 3:12. (ATL 56–0)

Fourth quarter

TB – 8:46 Vincent Jackson 3-yard TD pass from Mike Glennon, Patrick Murray kick.
Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:01. (ATL 56–7)
TB – 7:07 Danny Lansanah 27-yard TD interception return, Patrick Murray kick.
Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:39. (ATL 56–14)

Top passers

TB – Mike Glennon – 17/24, 121 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT
ATL – Matt Ryan – 21/24, 286 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT

Top rushers

TB – Bobby Rainey – 11 CAR, 41 YDS
ATL – Steven Jackson – 14 CAR, 54 YDS

Top receivers

TB – Bobby Rainey – 7 REC, 64 YDS
ATL – Julio Jones – 9 REC, 161 YDS

Top tacklers

TB – Lavonte David – 8 TACKLES
ATL – Robert McClain – 7 TACKLES

In this game, Devin Hester would break Deion Sanders's all-time record for punt/kick returns for touchdowns, with 20.^[4]

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings[]

Week Four: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	7	14	0	28
Vikings	14	10	3	14	41

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: September 28
Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), partly cloudy
Game attendance: 52,173
Referee: Ron Torbert
TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

MIN – 9:27 Matt Asiata 3-yard run, Blair Walsh kick.
Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:31. (MIN 7–0)
ATL – 3:56 Roddy White 24-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:31. (TIE 7–7)
MIN – 1:31 Matt Asiata 3-yard run, Blair Walsh kick.
Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:25. (MIN 14–7)

Second quarter

ATL – 5:56 Patrick DiMarco 1-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 5:26. (TIE 14–14)
MIN – 9:27 Teddy Bridgewater 13-yard run, Blair Walsh kick.
Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:57. (MIN 21–14)
MIN – 0:02 Blair Walsh 18-yard FG.
Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards, 1:23. (MIN 24–14)

Third quarter

MIN – 10:40 Blair Walsh 41-yard FG.
Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:20. (MIN 27–14)
ATL – 7:19 Devin Hester 36-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:21. (MIN 27–21)
ATL – 1:31 Antone Smith 48-yard run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:16. (ATL 28–27)

Fourth quarter

MIN – 10:50 Matt Asiata 1-yard run, Teddy Bridewater pass to Rhett Ellison for 2-point conversion.
Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:51. (MIN 35–28)
MIN – 3:38 Blair Walsh 55-yard FG.
Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:51. (MIN 38–28)
MIN – 1:14 Blair Walsh 33-yard FG.
Drive: 7 plays, 15 yards, 2:11. (MIN 41–28)

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 25/41, 298 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT
MIN – Teddy Bridgewater – 19/30, 317 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT

Top rushers

ATL – Antone Smith – 4 CAR, 62 YDS
MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 18 CAR, 135 YDS

Top receivers

ATL – Julio Jones – 6 REC, 82 YDS
MIN – Jarius Wright – 8 REC, 132 YDS

Top tacklers

ATL – Paul Worrilow – 9 TACKLES
MIN – Robert Blanton – 7 TACKLES

Week 5: at New York Giants[]

Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	6	7	0	20
Giants	7	3	7	13	30

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: October 5
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), sunny
Game attendance: 80,307
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

NYG – 6:40 Rueben Randle 3-yard TD pass from Eli Manning, Josh Brown kick.
Drive: 11 plays, 83 yards, 5:06. (NYG 7–0)
ATL – 1:57 Steven Jackson 10-yard run, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:43. (TIE 7–7)

Second quarter

ATL – 14:15 Matt Bryant 20-yard FG.
Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:33. (ATL 10–7)
NYG – 3:40 Josh Brown 49-yard FG.
Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 5:13. (TIE 10–10)
ATL – 0:03 Matt Bryant 20-yard FG.
Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 3:37. (ATL 13–10)

Third quarter

ATL – 5:37 Antone Smith 74-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick.
Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:20. (ATL 20–10)
NYG – 2:05 Andre Williams 3-yard run, Josh Brown kick.
Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 3:32. (ATL 10–17)

Fourth quarter

NYG – 10:02 Odell Beckham Jr. 3-yard TD pass from Eli Manning, Josh Brown kick.
Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:22. (NYG 24–20)
NYG – 5:01 Josh Brown 50-yard FG.
Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 3:22. (NYG 27–20)
NYG – 2:08 Josh Brown 26-yard FG.
Drive: 7 plays, 10 yards, 2:26. (NYG 30–20)

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 29/45, 316 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
NYG – Eli Manning – 19/30, 200 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT

Top rushers

ATL – Devonta Freeman – 4 CAR, 38 YDS
NYG – Andre Williams – 20 CAR, 65 YDS

Top receivers

ATL – Julio Jones – 11 REC, 105 YDS
NYG – Preston Parker – 3 REC, 61 YDS

Top tacklers

ATL – Worrilow, Shembo, Ishmael – 14 TACKLES
NYG – Jacquian Williams – 14 TACKLES

Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears[]

Week Six: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	13	6	8	27
Falcons	3	0	10	0	13

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: October 12
Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,712
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (Fox): Justin Kutcher, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

CHI –
ATL –

Top rushers

CHI –
ATL –

Top receivers

CHI –
ATL –

Top tacklers

CHI –
ATL –

Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens[]

Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	7	7
Ravens	7	10	3	9	29

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Date: October 19
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), sunny
Game attendance: 71,184
Referee: Carl Cheffers
TV announcers (Fox): Justin Kutcher, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ATL –
BAL –

Top rushers

ATL –
BAL –

Top receivers

ATL –
BAL –

Top tacklers

ATL –
BAL –

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions[]

NFL International Series

Week Eight: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	10	12	22
Falcons	14	7	0	0	21

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

Date: October 26
Game time: 1:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. EDT
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), overcast
Game attendance: 83,532
Referee: Pete Morelli
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Charissa Thompson
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

DET –
ATL –

Top rushers

DET –
ATL –

Top receivers

DET –
ATL –

Top tacklers

DET –
ATL –

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	6	3	11	27
Buccaneers	3	7	0	7	17

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Date: November 9
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 57,751
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ATL –
TB –

Top rushers

ATL –
TB –

Top receivers

ATL –
TB –

Top tacklers

ATL –
TB –

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers[]

Week Eleven: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	6	10	3	19
Panthers	0	3	0	14	17

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Date: November 16
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 73,314
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ATL –
CAR –

Top rushers

ATL –
CAR –

Top receivers

ATL –
CAR –

Top tacklers

ATL –
CAR –

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns[]

Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	6	10	3	26
Falcons	7	7	0	10	24

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: November 23
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,046
Referee: Brad Allen
TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein and Steve Tasker
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

CLE –
ATL –

Top rushers

CLE –
ATL –

Top receivers

CLE –
ATL –

Top tacklers

CLE –
ATL –

Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals[]

Week Thirteen: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	10	0	8	18
Falcons	17	3	3	6	29

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: November 30
Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 69,557
Referee: Terry McAulay
TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ARI –
ATL –

Top rushers

ARI –
ATL –

Top receivers

ARI –
ATL –

Top tacklers

ARI –
ATL –

Week 14: at Green Bay Packers[]

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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	0	10	20	37
Packers	7	24	3	9	43

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: December 8
Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), flurries
Game attendance: 77,512
Referee: Pete Morelli
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ATL –
GB –

Top rushers

ATL –
GB –

Top receivers

ATL –
GB –

Top tacklers

ATL –
GB –

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers[]

Week Fifteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	6	14	0	7	27
Falcons	0	7	6	7	20

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: December 14
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 71,161
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Evan Washburn
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

PIT –
ATL –

Top rushers

PIT –
ATL –

Top receivers

PIT –
ATL –

Top tacklers

PIT –
ATL –

The Falcons were the only NFC South team to lose to all of their AFC North opponents

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints[]

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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	10	7	10	30
Saints	7	0	0	7	14

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: December 21
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 73,164
Referee: John Parry
TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

ATL –
NO –

Top rushers

ATL –
NO –

Top receivers

ATL –
NO –

Top tacklers

ATL –
NO –

With the win, the Falcons swept the Saints for the 1st time since 2005 and eliminated their opponent from postseason contention.

Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers[]

Week Seventeen: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	10	14	10	0	34
Falcons	0	3	0	0	3

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: December 28
Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 71,015
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Top passers

CAR –
ATL –

Top rushers

CAR –
ATL –

Top receivers

CAR –
ATL –

Top tacklers

CAR –
ATL –

Standings[]

Division[]

NFC South
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽⁴⁾ Carolina Panthers	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	339	374	W4
New Orleans Saints	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	401	424	W1
Atlanta Falcons	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	381	417	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	277	410	L6

Conference[]

NFC^[5]^[6] view talk
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1^[a]	Seattle Seahawks	West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	.525	.513	W6
2^[a]	Green Bay Packers	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.482	.440	W2
3^[a]	Dallas Cowboys	East	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	.445	.422	W4
4	Carolina Panthers	South	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	.490	.357	W4
Wild Cards
5^[b]	Arizona Cardinals	West	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	.523	.477	L2
6^[b]	Detroit Lions	North	11	5	0	.688	5–1	9–3	.471	.392	L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7	Philadelphia Eagles	East	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	.490	.416	W1
8	San Francisco 49ers	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	7–5	.527	.508	W1
9^[c]	New Orleans Saints	South	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.486	.415	W1
10^[c]	Minnesota Vikings	North	7	9	0	.438	1–5	6–6	.475	.308	W1
11^[d]	New York Giants	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.512	.323	L1
12^[d]	Atlanta Falcons	South	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	.482	.380	L1
13^[d]	St. Louis Rams	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.531	.427	L3
14	Chicago Bears	North	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	.529	.338	L5
15	Washington Redskins	East	4	12	0	.250	2–4	2–10	.496	.422	L1
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	.486	.469	L6
Tiebreakers^[e]
^ ^a ^b ^c Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas were ranked in seeds 1–3 based on conference record. ^ ^a ^b Arizona defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 11, 14–6). ^ ^a ^b New Orleans defeated Minnesota head-to-head (Week 3, 20–9). ^ ^a ^b ^c The New York Giants defeated both Atlanta and St. Louis head-to-head (Atlanta: Week 5, 30–20; St. Louis: Week 16, 37–27), while Atlanta finished ahead of St. Louis based on conference record. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Use of artificial crowd noise[]

Shortly after the end of the post-season the Falcons were investigated by the League for piping artificial crowd noise during opponent's offensive snaps at home games during the 2013 season and the 2014 season.^[7] Team owner Arthur Blank stated that he was "angry and embarrassed" about the allegations, and has allegedly acknowledged the validity of the accusations, stating "I think what we've done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong", and promising to cooperate fully with the investigation.^[8] The NFL fined the Falcons $350,000 and took away a fifth round draft pick in the 2016 draft as punishment.^[9]

References[]

^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-12-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12091459/atlanta-falcons-fire-mike-smith^{[bare URL]}
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000399881/article/devin-hesters-recordbreaking-return-td-is-best-of-week-3
^ "2014 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
^ "2014 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
^ "Atlanta Falcons under NFL investigation for fake crowd noise at Georgia Dome: report". New York Daily News. 1 February 2015.
^ Jay Busbee (3 February 2015). "Falcons' Arthur Blank on crowd noise: 'What we've done ... is wrong'". Yahoo! Sports.
^ "Atlanta Falcons lose 2016 draft pick, fined $350,000 by NFL for Noisegate". Alabama Living. 30 March 2015.

External links[]

Official website

[12–4_TEAMS-7] Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas were ranked in seeds 1–3 based on conference record.

[11–5_TEAMS-8] Arizona defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 11, 14–6).

[7–9_TEAMS-9] New Orleans defeated Minnesota head-to-head (Week 3, 20–9).

[6–10_TEAMS-10] The New York Giants defeated both Atlanta and St. Louis head-to-head (Atlanta: Week 5, 30–20; St. Louis: Week 16, 37–27), while Atlanta finished ahead of St. Louis
based on conference record.

[11] When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

[1] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-12-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] ttp://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12091459/atlanta-falcons-fire-mike-smith^{[bare URL]}

[3] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] ttp://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000399881/article/devin-hesters-recordbreaking-return-td-is-best-of-week-3

[standings-conf-NFL-5] "2014 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[standings-conf-CBS-6] "2014 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

[12] "Atlanta Falcons under NFL investigation for fake crowd noise at Georgia Dome: report". New York Daily News. 1 February 2015.

[13] Jay Busbee (3 February 2015). "Falcons' Arthur Blank on crowd noise: 'What we've done ... is wrong'". Yahoo! Sports.

[14] "Atlanta Falcons lose 2016 draft pick, fined $350,000 by NFL for Noisegate". Alabama Living. 30 March 2015.

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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 Philadelphia Eagles
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 28 31 42 57 58 60 78 84 87
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division
Category

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