PHOTO: STADIUMS OF PRO FOOTBALL
Atlanta Falcons were founded in 1966 as the 15th expansion team. Prior to the team joining the NFL, the American Football League (AFL) staged two preseason contests, with one featuring the Denver Broncos vs the Houston Oilers and the second being the Dallas Texans against the Oakland Raiders. Two years later, the AFL held another exhibition, this time with the New York Jets taking on the San Diego Chargers. The rival AFL was looking at expansion teams in Atlanta and Philadelphia but eventually chose the Miami Dolphins in 1966 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.
The Falcons have yet to win a Super Bowl but have appeared in two (XXXIII and more recently XLI in the 2016 season).
Thirteen hundred people combined to suggest more than 500 names, including Peaches, Vibrants, Lancers, Confederates, Firebirds, and Thrashers. While several fans submitted the nickname Falcons, schoolteacher Julia Elliott of nearby Griffin was declared the winner of the contest for the reason she provided. The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight, Elliott wrote. It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has great sporting tradition. She won four season tickets for three years and a football autographed by the entire 1966 inaugural team.
NAMES
| Atlanta Falcons | (1966-PRESENT) |
LOCATION
| Atlanta,GA | (1966-PRESENT) |
AFFILIATIONS
| NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE | (1966-) |
| Eastern Conference | (1966) |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | (1967-1969) |
| Central Division | (1967-1969) |
| NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | (1970-) |
| NFC West | (1970-2001) |
| NFC South | (2002-) |
SEASONS
Click the "Seasons" text to hide and show the seasons.
Franchise records according to Pro-Football-Reference.com
| SEASON | LEAGUE | CONF | DIVISION | FINISH | W | L | T | PLAYOFFS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | NFL | EASTERN | 7TH | 3 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY | |
| 1967 | NFL | WESTERN | COASTAL | 4TH | 1 | 12 | 1 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1968 | NFL | WESTERN | COASTAL | 4TH | 2 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1969 | NFL | WESTERN | COASTAL | 3RD | 6 | 8 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1970 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 4 | 8 | 2 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1971 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 7 | 6 | 1 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1972 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 7 | 7 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1973 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 9 | 5 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1974 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 3 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1975 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 4 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1976 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 4 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1977 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 7 | 7 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1978 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 9 | 7 | 0 | WON WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (Eagles) 14-13 |
| LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (COWBOYS) 20-27 | ||||||||
| 1979 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 6 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1980 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 1ST | 12 | 4 | 0 | LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (COWBOYS) 27-30 |
| 1981 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1982 | NFL | NFC | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | LOST FIRST ROUND PLAYOFFS (VIKINGS) 24-30 | |
| 1983 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1984 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1985 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1986 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 7 | 8 | 1 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1987 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 3 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1988 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 5 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1989 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 3 | 13 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1990 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 5 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1991 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 10 | 6 | 0 | WON WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (SAINTS) 27-20 LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (REDSKINS) 7-24 |
| 1992 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 6 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1993 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 6 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1994 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1995 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 2ND | 9 | 7 | 0 | LOST WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (PACKERS) 20-37 |
| 1996 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 3 | 13 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1997 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 1998 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 1ST | 14 | 2 | 0 | WON DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (49ERS) 20-18 WON NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (VIKINGS) 30-27 (OT) LOST SUPER BOWL XXXIII (Broncos) 19-34 |
| 1999 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 3RD | 5 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2000 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 5th | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2001 | NFL | NFC | WEST | 4TH | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2002 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 9 | 6 | 1 | WON WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (PACKERS) 27-7 LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (Eagles) 6-20 |
| 2003 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 4TH | 5 | 11 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2004 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 1ST | 11 | 5 | 0 | WON DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (Rams) 47-17 LOST NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (Eagles) 10-27 |
| 2005 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 8 | 8 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2006 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2007 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 4TH | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2008 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 11 | 5 | 0 | LOST WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (CARDINALS 24-30 |
| 2009 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 9 | 7 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2010 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 1ST | 13 | 3 | 0 | LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (PACKERS) 21-48 |
| 2011 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 10 | 6 | 0 | LOST WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (GIANTS) 2-24 |
| 2012 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 1ST | 13 | 3 | 0 | WON DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (SEAHAWKS) 30-28 LOST NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (49ERS) 24-28 |
| 2013 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2014 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 6 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2015 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 8 | 8 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2016 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 1ST | 11 | 5 | 0 | WON DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (SEAHAWKS) 36-20 WON NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (PACKERS) 44-21 |
| LOST SUPER BOWL LI (PATRIOTS) 28-34 (OT) | ||||||||
| 2017 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 10 | 6 | 0 | WON WILD CARD PLAYOFFS (Rams) 26-13 |
| LOST DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS (Eagles) 10-15 | ||||||||
| 2018 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2019 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 2ND | 7 | 9 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2020 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 4TH | 4 | 12 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2021 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3RD | 7 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2022 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 4TH | 7 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
| 2023 | NFL | NFC | SOUTH | 3Rd | 7 | 10 | 0 | DID NOT QUALIFY |
SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES
| SEASON | SUPER BOWL | W/L | OPPONENT | SCORE | HOST CITY | VICTORY | APP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | XXXIII | L |  DENVER BRONCOS |
34-19 | MIAMI | - | 1 |
| 2016 | LI | L |  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS |
34-28(OT) | HOUSTON | - | 2 |
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
| NFC | 2 | 1998, 2016 |
DIVISION TITLES
| 12 | ||
|---|---|---|
| NFC SOUTH | 6 | 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016 |
| NFC WEST | 2 | 1980, 1998 |
| NFC SOUTH | 4 | 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016 |
PLAYOFFS APPEARANCES
| 14 | 1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010-2012, 2016, 2017 |
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| (1966-1989) | (1990-2002) | (2003-) |
HELMETS
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| (1966-1969) | (1970-1977) | (1978-1983) | (1984-1989) |
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| (1990-2002) | (2003-2019) | (2020-) |
STADIUMS
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nflFULTON COUNTY STADIUM (ATLANTA, GA) (1966-1991) |
GEORGIA DOME
(ATLANTA, GA) (1992-2016) |
MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM
(ATLANTA, GA) (2017-) |