National Football League
Atlanta Falcons
NFC/South
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Falcons History
The Atlanta Falcons took the field September 11, 1966 for their first game against the LA Rams which they lost 19-14. The team would lose 9 more games before beating the New York Giants 24-16. The team finished that first year 3-11.
It would not be until the 1978 season that the Falcons would make it into the playoffs. In that year they faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game. The Falcons would show their mettle as they emerged victorious with a 14-13 win. The next round of the playoffs found them matched up against the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys. The Falcons took a 20-13 lead into halftime and came out in the 2nd half ready to finish the deal. The Cowboys had other thoughts as they took a 27-20 lead and closed out the game.
Two seasons later, the Falcons get off to a rough start losing their first 3 games but would recover to reel off 9 straight wins under the guidance of QB Steve Bartkowski who had a banner season passing for 3,544 yards and connecting on 31 touchdowns. The team would be let down as they marched into the playoffs with the first ever Division Title win. The Falcons earned the right to again go up against the Dallas Cowboys this time at their house, Fulton County Stadium in front of over 60,000 fans. Going into the 4th quarter, the Falcons lead 24-10 but the Cowboys turned the game around in stunning fashion and turned the birds back 30-27.
The next Division Championship won by the Falcons was in the 1998, 18 seasons since last winning it in 1980. The Falcons advanced to the NFC Championship for the first time in the teams' history with 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons faced the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota. The two teams battled each other for 4 quarters and ended up in overtime. Falcons’ kicker Morton Anderson sealed the deal for the team as he nailed a 39 yard FG to win the game and send the team to its first ever Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXXIII pitted the Falcons against the Denver Broncos in Miami. In a pre game that saw the coaches verbally sparring against each other and Falcons Free Safety Eugene Robinson getting arrested for solicitation, the Falcons imploded as the Broncos easily handled them 34-19.
The team would not get into the NFC Championships until 2004 when Michael Vick led the Falcons to an 11-5 record and into the post season. Matched up against the Rams, the Falcons went off scoring 47 points and holding the Rams to 17 en route to a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Falling behind early, the Eagles extended a 14-3 halftime lead to a 27-10 victory and the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl. The team has failed to advance past the 1st round since.
The Falcons have made the playoffs 9 times in 43 years and have won their division 3 times (1980, 1998 and 2004). They have won their conference 1 time (1998), and have appeared in 1 Super Bowl (1998).
The team has had 2 Hall of Famers on their rosters: Eric Dickerson and Tommy McDonald
The team has retired 6 jerseys: #10 Steve Bartkowski, #31 William Andrews, #57 Jeff Van Note, #58 Jessie Tuggle, #60 Tommy Nobis, #78 Mike Kenn,
Team Awards include 2 Coach of the Year Awards (1998 Dan Reeves and 2008 Mike Smith), 3 Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1968 Claude Humphrey, 1980 Buddy Curry and 1980 Al Richardson), 1 Offensive Rookie of the year Award (Matt Ryan 2008)
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