2016 Atlanta Falcons season

Last updated

2016 Atlanta Falcons season
Atlanta Falcons wordmark.svg
Owner Arthur Blank
General manager Thomas Dimitroff
Head coach Dan Quinn
Home field Georgia Dome
Results
Record11–5
Division place1st NFC South
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Seahawks) 36–20
Won NFC Championship
(vs. Packers) 44–21
Lost Super Bowl LI
(vs. Patriots) 28–34 (OT)
Pro Bowlers
6
AP All-Pros
4
Uniform
Atlanta falcons unif 16.png

The 2016 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) and the second under head coach Dan Quinn. It also marked the team's 25th and final season playing their home games at the Georgia Dome, as the Falcons moved into the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. The Falcons won the NFC South for the first time since 2012 and improved on their 8–8 record from 2015, going 11–5 and earning the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Quarterback Matt Ryan was named the 2016 NFL MVP. The Falcons scored 540 points, the most in the NFL for 2016 and 8th all-time. The team scored fewer than 23 points only once all season: a 24–15 loss to the Eagles.

Contents

The Falcons defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36–20 in the Divisional Round to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2012. In the NFC Championship game, they defeated the Green Bay Packers, 44–21, to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; they had competed in Super Bowl XXXIII 18 years earlier. In Super Bowl LI, the Falcons faced the New England Patriots, and built up a 28–3 lead midway through the third quarter. However, the Patriots subsequently scored 25 unanswered points, forcing overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history, where they went on to win 34–28.

Free agents

PositionPlayerTag2016 TeamNotes
S Ricardo Allen Atlanta Falcons
DE Kroy Biermann UFABuffalo Bills
G Chris Chester UFAAtlanta Falcons
DE Adrian Clayborn Atlanta Falcons
S Charles Godfrey Atlanta Falcons
PK Shayne Graham UFANoneRetired
C Gino Gradkowski Carolina Panthers
T Bryce Harris UFAAtlanta Falcons
T Jake Long Minnesota Vikings
TE Tony Moeaki UFAChicago Bears
T Ryan Schraeder Atlanta Falcons
LB Nathan Stupar New Orleans Saints
TE D.J. Tialavea Atlanta Falcons
LB Philip Wheeler UFAAtlanta Falcons
LB Paul Worrilow Atlanta Falcons

Draft

2016 Atlanta Falcons draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
117 Keanu Neal  *  SS Florida
250 Deion Jones  *  OLB LSU
381 Austin Hooper  *  TE Stanford
4115 De'Vondre Campbell   OLB Minnesota
6195 Wes Schweitzer   G San Jose State
7238 Devin Fuller   WR UCLA
      Made roster    †    Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

Staff

2016 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Final roster

2016 Atlanta Falcons roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 9 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Falcons players at training camp, July 2016. Atlanta Falcons training camp scrimmage, July 2016 4.jpg
Falcons players at training camp, July 2016.

The Falcons preseason opponents and schedule were announced on April 7, 2016.

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 11 Washington Redskins W 23–171–0 Georgia Dome Recap
2August 18at Cleveland Browns W 24–132–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
3August 25at Miami Dolphins L 6–172–1 Camping World Stadium (Orlando) Recap
4September 1 Jacksonville Jaguars W 17–153–1Georgia Dome Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 24–310–1 Georgia Dome Recap
2September 18at Oakland Raiders W 35–281–1 Oakland Alameda Coliseum Recap
3September 26at New Orleans Saints W 45–322–1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
4October 2 Carolina Panthers W 48–333–1Georgia Dome Recap
5October 9at Denver Broncos W 23–164–1 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
6October 16at Seattle Seahawks L 24–264–2 CenturyLink Field Recap
7October 23 San Diego Chargers L 30–33 (OT)4–3Georgia Dome Recap
8October 30 Green Bay Packers W 33–325–3Georgia Dome Recap
9November 3at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 43–286–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap
10November 13at Philadelphia Eagles L 15–246–4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
11 Bye
12November 27 Arizona Cardinals W 38–197–4Georgia Dome Recap
13December 4 Kansas City Chiefs L 28–297–5Georgia Dome Recap
14December 11at Los Angeles Rams W 42–148–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
15December 18 San Francisco 49ers W 41–139–5Georgia Dome Recap
16December 24at Carolina Panthers W 33–1610–5 Bank of America Stadium Recap
17January 1 New Orleans Saints W 38–3211–5Georgia Dome Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week One: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Buccaneers31414031
Falcons1038324

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

With the loss, the Falcons started their season 0–1 for the first time since 2013.

Week 2: at Oakland Raiders

Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons01381435
Raiders0771428

at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 1–1.

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons72110745
Saints7108732

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Four: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Panthers01002333
Falcons143141748

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Matt Ryan and Julio Jones made Falcons team history as Ryan exploded to 503 passing yards and Jones caught twelve passes for 300 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first quarterback-receiver duo to break 500 passing yards and 300 receiving yards in club history and the first such tandem in the NFL's Super Bowl era. [1] Cam Newton was knocked out of the game with a concussion incurred on a two-point conversion run. With the win, the Falcons improved to 3–1.

Week 5: at Denver Broncos

Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons1037323
Broncos0301316

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 4–1 for the first time since 2010.

Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Six: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons0321024
Seahawks7100926

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 4–2.

Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Chargers710310333
Falcons62103030

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Falcons blew a 17-point lead and lost to the Chargers, 33-30. They wore their black throwback uniforms for this game. With the game tied at 30–30, a missed 58-yarder by Matt Bryant forced the game into overtime. The Falcons received the ball first in overtime but turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth down. Josh Lambo kicked a 42-yard field goal in overtime to seal a 33–30 victory for the Chargers. With the brutal loss, the Falcons dropped to 4–3 for the first time since 2009. This is the final game the Falcons played against the San Diego-based Chargers. It also foreshadowed a more calamitous loss in which the Falcons blew a larger lead.

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Eight: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Packers7170832
Falcons1097733

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3.

Week 9: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons1010131043
Buccaneers7701428

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Despite Mike Evans finishing the game with 11 receptions for 150 yards and two scores, the Falcons still managed to beat Tampa Bay on the road, 43–28. With the win, the Falcons improved to 6–3.

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons063615
Eagles7031424

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 6–4.

Week 12: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Twelve: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinals760619
Falcons71071438

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 69,233
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

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

Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs6147229
Falcons10601228

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Falcons trailed 27–16 going into the fourth quarter, and took the lead through a 1-yard touchdown run by Devonta Freeman, followed by a 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan to Aldrick Robinson. Having failed on the two-point conversion following Freeman's touchdown, they tried for two points again after Robinson's catch with the aim of securing a three-point lead going into the last four minutes of the game; however, Chiefs safety Eric Berry intercepted Ryan's attempted pass and returned it all the way to the Atlanta end zone for a defensive two-point conversion that gave Kansas City a 29–28 lead that they were able to defend for the remainder of the game. With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 7–5 for the first time since 2011.

Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons71421042
Rams0001414

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST/1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 82,495
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

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

Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
49ers0130013
Falcons21710341

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

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

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers

Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons13731033
Panthers0310316

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 73,549
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 10–5.

Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Seventeen: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Saints10301932
Falcons14213038

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 70,835
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

This was the Falcons' final regular season game at the Georgia Dome. With the win, the Falcons finished their season at 11–5.

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild Card First-round bye
DivisionalJanuary 14, 2017 Seattle Seahawks (3)W 36–201–0 Georgia Dome Recap
NFC ChampionshipJanuary 22, 2017 Green Bay Packers (4)W 44–212–0Georgia Dome Recap
Super Bowl LI February 5, 2017vs. New England Patriots (A1)L 28–34 (OT)2–1 NRG Stadium Recap

Game summaries

NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (3) Seattle Seahawks

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Seattle Seahawks at (2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks733720
Falcons01971036

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

After coming off a first round bye, the Falcons hosted the Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Falcons trailed midway through the first quarter when the Seahawks went up 7–0 from a 7-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Jimmy Graham. In the second quarter, Atlanta tied the game 7–7 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones. On the next Seattle drive, the Seahawks took a 10–7 lead with a 33-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka. [2] [3]

The next Falcons drive ended in a three and out. On the ensuing punt, Seattle's Devin Hester returned the punt 80-yards to Atlanta's 7-yard line. However, that punt return was called back on a penalty, forcing Seattle to start at its own 7-yard line. After Thomas Rawls was tackled for a 3-yard loss, Wilson attempted to drop back to pass. However, while doing so, Wilson tripped over Rees Odhiambo's foot and was tackled in the end zone, leading to a safety for Atlanta. Receiving the ball following the safety, Atlanta took its first lead of the game on a 35-yard field goal from Matt Bryant. After forcing Seattle to Punt, the Falcons took a 19–10 lead going into halftime on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Coleman. [2] [3]

Atlanta remained ahead for the rest of the game, eventually beating Seattle 36–20. With the win, the Falcons improved their record to 12–5. Matt Ryan threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns and improved his playoff record to 2–4, with both of his playoff wins (up to that point) coming against the Seahawks. [3] This was speculated to be the last NFL game ever in the Georgia Dome, but when the fourth-seeded Green Bay Packers upset the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys in the other Divisional Playoff the next day, Atlanta was named the host of the NFC Championship Game, the last ever game in the Dome.

NFC Championship: vs. (4) Green Bay Packers

NFC Championship Game: (4) Green Bay Packers at (2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Packers0015621
Falcons101413744

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: January 22, 2017
  • Game time: 3:05 pm. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 71,127
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

This was the Falcons' final game ever in the Georgia Dome after 25 seasons, as the team moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. The Falcons never trailed in the game, scoring 31 unanswered points until Rodgers threw a touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter to give Green Bay its first points. The Falcons won 44–21 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since their 1998 season, as well as the second time in franchise history. Matt Ryan had a big game, throwing 4 touchdown passes and running for another score. His 392 yards were the second-most ever thrown in a Championship Game, only behind his 396 yards in the 2012 NFC Championship Games versus the San Francisco 49ers. Julio Jones was another huge part of the Falcons win, with 9 catches, 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of the scores came on a 73-yard tackle-breaking catch. The Falcons' defense held fellow MVP-candidate Rodgers and his offense in check most of the game, forcing several hurries and drops. They also forced 2 turnovers, one was a fumble that was forced and then recovered by Jalen Collins on Packers Aaron Ripkowski, and the other one of them coming on a 3rd and 21 pass by Rodgers, that Ricardo Allen intercepted.

Super Bowl LI: vs. New England Patriots

Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Patriots03619634
Falcons02170028

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: February 5, 2017
  • Game time: 6:30 pm. EST/5:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,807
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Falcons led the game 28-3 into the third quarter before the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie at 28 all, and create the first Super Bowl game to go into overtime. The Patriots won the coin-toss and won the game via a James White touchdown. This ended the Falcons' season record at 13–6. [4]

Standings

Division

NFC South
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Atlanta Falcons 1150.6885–19–3540406W4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 970.5634–27–5354369W1
New Orleans Saints 790.4382–46–6469454L1
Carolina Panthers 6100.3751–55–7369402L2

Conference

NFC
#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East1330.8133–39–3.471.440L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South1150.6885–19–3.480.452W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West1051.6563–2–16–5–1.441.425W1
4 Green Bay Packers North1060.6255–18–4.508.453W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East1150.6884–28–4.486.455W1
6 [a] Detroit Lions North970.5633–37–5.475.392L3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 [a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South970.5634–27–5.492.434W1
8 Washington Redskins East871.5313–36–6.516.430L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North880.5002–45–7.492.457W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West781.4694–1–16–5–1.463.366W2
11 [b] New Orleans Saints South790.4382–46–6.523.393L1
12 [b] Philadelphia Eagles East790.4382–45–7.559.518W2
13 Carolina Panthers South6100.3751–55–7.518.354L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West4120.2502–43–9.504.500L7
15 Chicago Bears North3130.1882–43–9.521.396L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West2140.1252–42–10.504.250L1
Tiebreakers [c]
  1. 1 2 Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents—Detroit's cumulative record against Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. ↑ 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 53rd season in franchise history

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

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References

  1. ↑ Matt Ryan, Julio Jones set records in win over Panthers from NFL.com
  2. 1 2 Seahawks vs. Falcons play-by-play. January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Ryan leads Falcons to NFC title game, beating Seattle 36-20. ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ "2016 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved August 6, 2017.
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