Atlanta Falcons
Owner – Arthur Blank General Manager – Thomas Dimitroff Head Coach – Dan Quinn
NFL Championships: N/A Super Bowl Championships: None
2018 Atlanta Falcons Game Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | ET | TV | |
| Week 1 | 9/6 | at Philadelphia Eagles (Thu) | 8:20pm | NBC |
| Week 2 | 9/16 | Carolina Panthers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 3 | 9/23 | New Orleans Saints | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 4 | 9/30 | Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00pm | CBS |
| Week 5 | 10/7 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 6 | 10/14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 7 | 10/22 | New York Giants (Mon) | 8:15pm | ESPN |
| Week 8 | 10/28 | BYE | ||
| Week 9 | 11/4 | at Washington Redskins | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 10 | 11/11 | at Cleveland Browns | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 11 | 11/18 | Dallas Cowboys | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 12 | 11/22 | at New Orleans Saints | 8:20pm | NBC |
| Week 13 | 12/2 | Baltimore Ravens | 1:00pm | CBS |
| Week 14 | 12/9 | at Green Bay Packers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 15 | 12/16 | Arizona Cardinals | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 16 | 12/23 | at Carolina Panthers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 17 | 12/30 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00pm | FOX |
Atlanta Falcons Team History
The Atlanta Falcons were founded in 1966 with the AFL expansion that included the Philadelphia Eagles. The first four seasons were far from successful as the franchise only managed to win twelve games across the four seasons combined. As the most expensive professional football franchise on record at the time, the Falcons got off on what is widely considered the wrong foot. It wasn’t until 1978 that the Atlanta Falcons qualified for their first playoff spot where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 14-13 before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the next round. Their first divisional title came soon after in 1980 with a 12-4 record, and the NFC West to hang on their shelves. The excitement of the 1980 season abruptly came to an end with a loss from, you guessed who, the Dallas Cowboys in the first playoff game.
In 1989 the Falcons drafted Deion Sanders who went on to be a Hall of Fame corner back and set records in both Atlanta and Dallas. His style of play and animated personality brought attention to a quiet Atlanta franchise. In 1991 the team picked another Hall of Fame player when they drafted QB Brett Favre. Favre threw four passes for the Atlanta Falcons, two of which were interceptions, and he was traded to the Green Bay Packers where he developed into an all-time great. In fact, legend has it that on the first day of training camp the coach at the time, Jerry Glanville, didn’t quite make Favre feel welcome. He asked the rookie QB what school he was from, when Favre answered “Southern Miss” Glanville responded with “We wanted the other kid from Mississippi, looks like we got the wrong guy”. Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with Favre and didn’t end well for the Falcons either.
After a surprise run and an upset victory against the Minnesota Vikings, the Falcons lost Super Bowl XXXIII to the defending Denver Broncos. The next season their star running back suffered a season ending injury and the team went 5-11. In 2001 the team managed to secure a draft pick that was used on Michael Vick, and the franchise turned a corner. They found themselves handing Green Bay its first home playoff loss in 2002 with the combination of Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick. In 2004 the team lost in the NFC championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 2016 season handed the Falcons a new reputation when they suffered the largest comeback in Super Bowl history at the hands of the New England Patriots. The twenty-five point margin overcome by the Patriots is still a Super Bowl record and was a disappointing end to what was otherwise a record-setting season for the Atlanta Falcons. The organization is still seeking a step back in the Super Bowl caliber direction as they head into the 2018 season.