2017 Atlanta Falcons season

Last updated

2017 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner Arthur Blank
General manager Thomas Dimitroff
Head coach Dan Quinn
Home field Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place3rd NFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Rams) 26–13
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Eagles) 10–15
Pro Bowlers WR Julio Jones
C Alex Mack
LB Deion Jones
S Keanu Neal
Uniform
Atlanta falcons unif 16.png

The 2017 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), their first playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and their third under head coach Dan Quinn. They entered the season as the defending NFC champions and tried to defend their NFC title for a second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl after losing the previous year against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI after blowing a 28-3 lead. This was the Falcons' first year in Mercedes-Benz Stadium after spending the previous 25 seasons in the Georgia Dome, which was demolished on November 20, 2017. Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened as scheduled on August 26, 2017; however, its retractable roof system was incomplete. The roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium remained in the closed position for most of the 2017 season, with the roof opened only during the September 17 game against the Green Bay Packers, as contractors continued to fully mechanize the roof. [1]

Contents

On December 13, 2017, Tommy Nobis, the first player drafted by the Falcons, died at the age of 74. [2]

Despite the Falcons failing to improve on their 11–5 record from 2016 or defend their NFC South title, the team posted its first consecutive winning seasons, consecutive 10-win seasons, and consecutive playoff berths since the 2012 season. The Falcons were the only NFC team from the 2016 playoffs to qualify for the 2017 playoffs. In the playoffs, the Falcons defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round, but lost against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round despite being the first team to be favored over a number one seed in the Divisional Round.

As of 2023, this represents the most recent winning season and playoff appearance for the Falcons.

Offseason

Signings

PositionPlayerAge2016 TeamContract
WRReginald Davis III25 Atlanta Falcons 3 years, $1.66 million
DE Jack Crawford 28 Dallas Cowboys 3 years, $8.8 million
DT Dontari Poe 26 Kansas City Chiefs 1 year, $8 million
S Kemal Ishmael 25 Atlanta Falcons 1 year, $2 million
WR Andre Roberts 29 Detroit Lions 1 year, $1.8 million
LB LaRoy Reynolds 26 Atlanta Falcons 1 year, $1.3 million
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson 27 Atlanta Falcons 1 year, $775,000
OG Hugh Thornton 25 Indianapolis Colts 1 year, $690,000

Draft

2017 Atlanta Falcons Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
1 26 Takkarist McKinley DE UCLA
375 Duke Riley LB LSU
4136 Sean Harlow G Oregon State
5149 Damontae Kazee S San Diego State
5156 Brian Hill RB Wyoming
5174 Eric Saubert TE Drake

Undrafted free agents

2017 Atlanta Falcons Undrafted Free Agents
PositionPlayerCollegeNotes
QB Alek Torgersen Pennsylvania
FB Tyler Renew The Citadel
WR Josh Magee South Alabama
WR Deonte Burton Kansas State
C Cam Keizur Portland State
T Andreas Knappe UConn
T Robert Leff Auburn
OL Travis Averill Boise State
OL Will Freeman Southern Miss
DE J.T. Jones Miami (OH)
DE Chris Odom Arkansas State
DE Darius English South Carolina
DE Gary Thompson Jr. Marshall
LB Christian Tago San Jose State
LB Jermaine Grace Miami
CB Marcelis Branch Robert Morris
S Deron Washington Pittsburg State
S Quincy Mauger Georgia
CB Taylor Reynolds James Madison

Staff

2017 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Dan Quinn
  • Assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/wide receivers – Raheem Morris
  • Assistant to the head coach – Steve Scarnecchia

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Keith Armstrong
  • Assistant special teams – Eric Sutulovich

Strength and conditioning

  • Athletic performance manager – A.J. Neibel
  • Head strength and conditioning – Jesse Ackerman
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Jonas Beauchemin

Final roster

2017 Atlanta Falcons final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 7 inactive, 10 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 10at Miami Dolphins L 20–230–1 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
2August 20at Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–170–2 Heinz Field Recap
3August 26 Arizona Cardinals L 14–240–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
4August 31 Jacksonville Jaguars L 7–130–4Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1 September 10at Chicago Bears W 23–171–0 Soldier Field 61,857 Recap
2 September 17 Green Bay Packers W 34–232–0 Mercedes-Benz Stadium 70,826 Recap
3 September 24at Detroit Lions W 30–263–0 Ford Field 63,240 Recap
4 October 1 Buffalo Bills L 17–233–1Mercedes-Benz Stadium71,273 Recap
5 Bye
6 October 15 Miami Dolphins L 17–203–2Mercedes-Benz Stadium70,593 Recap
7 October 22at New England Patriots L 7–233–3 Gillette Stadium 65,878 Recap
8 October 29at New York Jets W 25–204–3 MetLife Stadium 77,562 Recap
9 November 5at Carolina Panthers L 17–204–4 Bank of America Stadium 74,244 Recap
10 November 12 Dallas Cowboys W 27–75–4Mercedes-Benz Stadium73,761 Recap
11 November 20at Seattle Seahawks W 34–316–4 CenturyLink Field 69,026 Recap
12 November 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 34–207–4Mercedes-Benz Stadium71,036 Recap
13 December 3 Minnesota Vikings L 9–147–5Mercedes-Benz Stadium71,185 Recap
14 December 7 New Orleans Saints W 20–178–5Mercedes-Benz Stadium72,866 Recap
15 December 18at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 24–219–5 Raymond James Stadium 62,382 Recap
16 December 24at New Orleans Saints L 13–239–6 Mercedes-Benz Superdome 73,188 Recap
17 December 31 Carolina Panthers W 22–1010–6Mercedes-Benz Stadium74,141 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Chicago Bears

Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons3731023
Bears0100717

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 2: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Packers7031323
Falcons71710034

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

In their home opener, the Falcons hosted the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of the 2016 NFC Championship Game. This was the first regular season game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Despite prior reports that the roof would be closed for the game, Falcons owner Arthur Blank elected to open the roof if weather permitted, marking the first time since the 1991 season, the team's final season at their original home of Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, that the Falcons played a home game in Atlanta under open air. [3] The Falcons controlled most of the game, went up by as much as 24, and won 34–23. They were led by Devonta Freeman (19 rushes, 84 yards, 2 TD) and Julio Jones (108 yards, 5 receptions). The 2017 Falcons became only the fourth team in NFL history to start 2–0 after they lost the Super Bowl the previous year.

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons7133730
Lions01310326

at Ford Field, Detroit Michigan

Game information

Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 4: Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bills077923
Falcons0100717

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 6: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 6: Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Dolphins0014620
Falcons1070017

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: October 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,593
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 7: at New England Patriots

Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons00077
Patriots0173323

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: October 22
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), cloudy, fog started developing in 2nd quarter
  • Game attendance: 65,878
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In a rematch of Super Bowl LI eight months later, the Falcons were trying to avenge their historic defeat, where they blew a 28-3 lead and lost in overtime, however Atlanta lost the rematch 23-7, in a game dominated by fog in the Foxboro area in the second half.

Week 8: at New York Jets

Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons763925
Jets7100320

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 9: at Carolina Panthers

Week 9: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons1000717
Panthers0146020

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 10: Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cowboys70007
Falcons3771027

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 12
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 73,761
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In the Falcons' victory, Adrian Clayborn set a new franchise record of six sacks in one game, breaking the previous record of five sacks.

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 11: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons14107334
Seahawks7106831

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 12: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Buccaneers337720
Falcons3177734

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 13: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 13: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Vikings070714
Falcons33309

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 14: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints377017
Falcons3701020

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 15: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 15: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons7100724
Buccaneers707721

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 62,382
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The win eliminated Green Bay from postseason contention.

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints

Week 16: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons0031013
Saints3107323

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,188
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 17: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Panthers070310
Falcons706922

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: December 31
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 74,141
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Standings

Division

NFC South
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(4) New Orleans Saints 1150.6884–28–4448326L1
(5) Carolina Panthers 1150.6883–37–5363327L1
(6) Atlanta Falcons 1060.6254–29–3353315W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5110.3131–53–9335382W1

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 [lower-alpha 1] Philadelphia Eagles East1330.8135–110–2.461.433L1
2 [lower-alpha 1] Minnesota Vikings North1330.8135–110–2.492.447W3
3 [lower-alpha 2] Los Angeles Rams West1150.6884–27–5.504.460L1
4 [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] New Orleans Saints South1150.6884–28–4.535.483L1
Wild Cards
5 [lower-alpha 3] Carolina Panthers South1150.6883–37–5.539.500L1
6 Atlanta Falcons South1060.6254–29–3.543.475W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 [lower-alpha 4] Detroit Lions North970.5635–18–4.496.368W1
8 [lower-alpha 4] Seattle Seahawks West970.5634–27–5.492.444L1
9 [lower-alpha 4] Dallas Cowboys East970.5635–17–5.496.438W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West880.5003–35–7.488.406W2
11 [lower-alpha 5] Green Bay Packers North790.4382–45–7.539.357L3
12 [lower-alpha 5] Washington Redskins East790.4381–55–7.539.429L1
13 San Francisco 49ers West6100.3751–53–9.512.438W5
14 [lower-alpha 6] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South5110.3131–53–9.555.375W1
15 [lower-alpha 6] Chicago Bears North5110.3130–61–11.559.500L1
16 New York Giants East3130.1881–51–11.531.458W1
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 Philadelphia claimed the No. 1 seed over Minnesota based on winning percentage vs. common opponents. Philadelphia's cumulative record against Carolina, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington was 5–0, compared to Minnesota's 4–1 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  2. 1 2 LA Rams claimed the No. 3 seed over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 New Orleans clinched the NFC South division over Carolina based on head-to-head sweep.
  4. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of Dallas and Seattle based on conference record, while Seattle finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  5. 1 2 Green Bay finished ahead of Washington based on record vs. common opponents. Green Bay's cumulative record against Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle was 2–3, compared to Washington's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  6. 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based on head-to-head victory.
  7. 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.

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild Card January 6, 2018at Los Angeles Rams (3)W 26–131–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
Divisional January 13, 2018at Philadelphia Eagles (1)L 10–151–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) Los Angeles Rams

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) Atlanta Falcons at (3) Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons676726
Rams0100313

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Game information

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Philadelphia Eagles

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (6) Atlanta Falcons at (1) Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons370010
Eagles093315

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: January 13, 2018
  • Game time: 4:35 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 69,596
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

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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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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 54th season in franchise history

The 2019 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 54th in the National Football League (NFL), their third playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their fifth under and final full season under head coach Dan Quinn, as he would be fired during their next season. They tried to improve on their 7–9 season from 2018, and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. However, the Falcons stumbled out of the gate and had their worst start for the first time in 16 years with a 1–7 record to begin the campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 55th season in franchise history; final one with Dan Quinn

The 2020 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 55th season in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and their sixth and final season under head coach Dan Quinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 56th season in franchise history

The 2021 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 56th season in the National Football League (NFL), their fifth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their first under general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 57th season in franchise history

The 2022 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their sixth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their second under head coach Arthur Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 58th season in franchise history

The 2023 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, their third under general manager Terry Fontenot and third and final season under head coach Arthur Smith. The Falcons attempted to improve upon their 7–10 record from the previous two years and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite starting 2–0, the first time since 2017 they won a season opener and had a winning record at some point, their struggles caught up to them, as after a 6–6 start and being 1st place in the NFC South, the team finished 1–4 in their final five games. Atlanta matched their previous two outputs of seven wins with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. However, they were eliminated from playoff contention when the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 18.

References

  1. Tucker, Tim (October 6, 2017). "Plan: Stadium roof will be closed for rest of Falcons season, open for one soccer game". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  2. "Tommy Nobis, 'Mr. Falcon,' is dead at 74". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  3. Tucker, Tim. "Falcons plan to open roof for home opener if weather cooperates". AJC. Retrieved September 10, 2017.