1982 Atlanta Falcons season

Last updated

1982 Atlanta Falcons season
General manager Tom Braatz
Head coach Leeman Bennett
Home field Fulton County Stadium
Results
Record5–4
Division place5th NFC
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Vikings) 24–30
Pro Bowlers C Jeff van Note
G R. C. Thielemann
T Mike Kenn
FB William Andrews

The 1982 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League (NFL). The team qualified for the postseason and won the NFC West for the second time in three years. Due to the players strike, this was not recognized as divisions were dissolved for this year only. As the lone NFC West team to qualify for the playoffs, Falcons were considered the 1982 first place team when 1983 matchups were determined. The Falcons were the first team to get a taste of being the best in the NFC West during the 49ers' dynasty, as the 49ers, from 1981 to 1997, would hog 13 of 17 NFC West pennants.

Contents

Offseason

NFL Draft

1982 Atlanta Falcons draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
19 Gerald Riggs  *  Running back Arizona State
236 Doug Rogers   Defensive end Stanford
363 Stacey Bailey   Wide receiver San Jose State
495Reggie Brown Running back Oregon
5122 Von Mansfield   Defensive back Wisconsin
6149 Mike Kelley   Quarterback Georgia Tech
7176David Toloumu Running back Hawaii
8203Ricky Eberhardt Defensive back Morris Brown
9235 Mike Horan   Punter Long Beach State
10262Curtis Stowers  Linebacker Mississippi State
11288Jeff Keller Wide receiver Washington State
12315 Dave Levenick  LinebackerWisconsin
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1982 Atlanta Falcons staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Roster

1982 Atlanta Falcons final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteAttendanceGame
recap
1September 12at New York Giants W 16–141–0 Giants Stadium 74,286 Recap
2September 19 Los Angeles Raiders L 14–381–1Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium54,774 Recap
3at Kansas City Chiefs Cancelled due to the 1982 NFL strike
4 San Diego Chargers
5at Los Angeles Rams
6at Detroit Lions
7 San Francisco 49ers
8at New Orleans Saints Rescheduled to January 2
9at Chicago Bears Cancelled due to the 1982 NFL strike
10 Philadelphia Eagles
11November 21 Los Angeles Rams W 34–172–1Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium39,686 Recap
12November 28 St. Louis Cardinals L 20–232–2Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium33,411 Recap
13December 5at Denver Broncos W 34–273–2 Mile High Stadium 73,984 Recap
14December 12 New Orleans Saints W 35–04–2Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium39,535 Recap
15December 19at San Francisco 49ers W 17–75–2 Candlestick Park 53,234 Recap
16December 26 Green Bay Packers L 7–385–3Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium50,245 Recap
17January 2, 1983at New Orleans Saints L 6–355–4 Louisiana Superdome 47,336 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordGame siteAttendanceGame
recap
Wild CardJanuary 9at Minnesota Vikings (4)L 24–300–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 60,560 Recap

[2]

Standings

NFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Atlanta Falcons (5)540.5563–14–3183199L2
New Orleans Saints 450.4442–13–5129160W1
San Francisco 49ers 360.3331–32–3209206L1
Los Angeles Rams 270.2221–21–5200250W1
National Football Conference
WLTPCTPFPASTK
Washington Redskins (1)810.889190128W4
Dallas Cowboys (2)630.667226145L2
Green Bay Packers (3)531.611226169L1
Minnesota Vikings (4)540.556187198W1
Atlanta Falcons (5)540.556183199L2
St. Louis Cardinals (6)540.556135170L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7)540.556158178W3
Detroit Lions (8)450.444181176W1
New Orleans Saints 450.444129160W1
New York Giants 450.444164160W1
San Francisco 49ers 360.333209206L1
Chicago Bears 360.333141174L1
Philadelphia Eagles 360.333191195L1
Los Angeles Rams 270.222200250W1

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Falcons</span> National Football League franchise in Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons were founded on June 30, 1965, and joined the NFL in 1966 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Rice</span> American football player (born 1962)

Jerry Lee Rice is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter stints at the end of his career with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed "World" because of his superb catching ability, his accomplishments and numerous records, Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in NFL history. His biography on the official Pro Football Hall of Fame website names him: "the most prolific wide receiver in NFL history with staggering career totals". In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Mariucci</span> American football coach and analyst

Stephen Ray Mariucci, nicknamed "Mooch", is an American sportscaster and former football coach who was the head coach of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the San Francisco 49ers (1997–2002) and the Detroit Lions (2003–2005), and for a year at the University of California, Berkeley.

The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirk Koetter</span> American football coach (born 1959)

Dirk Jeffrey Koetter is an American football coach who most recently served as the interim offensive coordinator at Boise State University. He was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2016 to 2018 and was the head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000 and at Arizona State University from 2001 to 2006, compiling a career college football record of 66–44 (.600). Koetter also served as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and Buccaneers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Bryant</span> American football player (born 1975)

Steven Matt Bryant, nicknamed "Money Matt", is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A Pro Bowler with the Falcons in 2016, he has also been a member of the New York Giants, Frankfurt Galaxy, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Florida Tuskers, and is among the most-accurate kickers in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Shanahan</span> American football coach (born 1979)

Kyle Michael Shanahan is an American football coach who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, whose offense in 2016 led the league in points scored and helped the team reach Super Bowl LI. Shanahan became the head coach of the 49ers the following season, whom he has led to three playoff runs, two division titles, three NFC Championship Games, and a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl LIV.

The 1986 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 21st season in the National Football League (NFL). It began with moderate expectations. Head coach Dan Henning was going into his fourth year having failed to post a record above .500 in any of his first three seasons. Local media, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saw it as Henning's last chance to save his head coaching job. Atlanta entered the season led by, among others, Gerald Riggs, Scott Case, Bill Fralic and Jeff Van Note. David Archer was the starting quarterback heading into the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Ryan (American football)</span> American football player (born 1985)

Matthew Thomas Ryan is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. Nicknamed "Matty Ice", Ryan spent his first 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and holds the franchise records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, attempts, completions, passer rating, and wins. He played college football at Boston College, where he won the Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards as a senior, and was selected by the Falcons third overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He is also an analyst for CBS Sports.

NFL playoff results is a listing of the year-by-year results of the NFL Playoff games to determine the final two teams for the championship game. The winners of those games are listed in NFL Championship Game article.
The overall franchise records are shown in the last table.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashon Goldson</span> American football player (born 1984)

Dashon Hugh Goldson is an American football coach and former safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and Atlanta Falcons. He is currently an assistant defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season (won 5th Super Bowl)

The 1994 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall, and their sixth under head coach George Seifert. This season was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference championship games, the 49ers made significant acquisitions in the 1994 free agent market. This included the signing of two-sport star Deion Sanders and Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. Sanders had a major impact on the team's success, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and recording six interceptions. The 49ers won their division, the NFC West, for the eighth time in nine seasons.

The 1998 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 33rd in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time under the guidance of head coach Dan Reeves in his second year with the team, becoming the first dome team to play in a Super Bowl. The Falcons won their final nine regular season games to earn the #2 seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) for the postseason and the first-week bye. They and the Broncos both had 14–2 records, but the Falcons were the second best in the league because they had a better record against common opponents. They beat the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round and the #1-seed Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game before losing to Reeves’ old team, the Denver Broncos, 34–19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. They were a perfect 8–0 at home.

The 1978 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 13th season. After losing four of their first six games, Atlanta rebounded to win seven of their last ten, and their 9-7 record was the third best in a weak NFC. The NFC West runners-up thus not only secured their first-ever postseason berth in franchise history, but earned a home playoff game under the expanded ten team format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season

The 1991 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 46th overall. The franchise did not qualify for the postseason for the first time since the strike-shortened 1982 season. Joe Montana would miss the entire season with an elbow injury, paving the way for Steve Young to take over as the team's starting quarterback.

The 1985 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise’s 20th season in the National Football League (NFL). They finished last in the NFC West with a record of four wins and twelve losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Quinn (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1970)

Daniel Patrick Quinn is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks from 2013 to 2014, serving as the play-caller for the team's Legion of Boom secondary. Under Quinn, Seattle led the league in defense and made two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning the franchise's first in Super Bowl XLVIII. This success led to Quinn being named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he served for six seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tevin Coleman</span> American football player (born 1993)

Tevin Ford Coleman is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana, where he was a unanimous All-American. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets.

References

  1. "1982 Atlanta Falcons Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  2. "1982 Atlanta Falcons".