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56th season in franchise history From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| 2021 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Arthur Blank |
| General manager | Terry Fontenot |
| Head coach | Arthur Smith |
| Home field | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–10 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC South |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | TE Kyle Pitts LS Josh Harris |
| All-Pros | CB A. J. Terrell (2nd team) LS Josh Harris (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
| |
For the first time since 2010, wide receiver Julio Jones was not on the roster as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans on June 6, 2021.[1] Jones departed Atlanta holding the most career receiving yards and receptions in Falcons franchise history.
Following their Week 12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Falcons improved their 4–12 season from the previous year. However, the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was also their final season with quarterback Matt Ryan, as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for the following season.[2]
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kyle Pitts | TE | Florida | Highest selected tight end in NFL history |
| 2 | 40 | Richie Grant | S | UCF | from Denver Broncos |
| 3 | 68 | Jalen Mayfield | OG | Michigan | |
| 4 | 108 | Darren Hall | CB | San Diego State | |
| 114 | Drew Dalman | C | Stanford | from Denver Broncos | |
| 5 | 148 | Ta'Quon Graham | DE | Texas | |
| 182 | Adetokunbo Ogundeji | DE | Notre Dame | ||
| 183 | Avery Williams | CB | Boise State | ||
| 6 | 187 | Frank Darby | WR | Arizona State |
Notes
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 13 | Tennessee Titans | L 3–23 | 0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | at Miami Dolphins | L 17–37 | 0–2 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 29 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–19 | 0–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
The Falcons 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. They opened the season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–32 | 0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 25–48 | 0–2 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | at New York Giants | W 17–14 | 1–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | Washington Football Team | L 30–34 | 1–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | New York Jets | W 27–20 | 2–3 |  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) |
Recap |
| 6 | Bye | |||||
| 7 | October 24 | at Miami Dolphins | W 30–28 | 3–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | Carolina Panthers | L 13–19 | 3–4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at New Orleans Saints | W 27–25 | 4–4 | Caesars Superdome | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 3–43 | 4–5 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 18 | New England Patriots | L 0–25 | 4–6 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–14 | 5–6 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–30 | 5–7 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | at Carolina Panthers | W 29–21 | 6–7 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13–31 | 6–8 | Levi's Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 26 | Detroit Lions | W 20–16 | 7–8 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | January 2 | at Buffalo Bills | L 15–29 | 7–9 | Highmark Stadium | Recap |
| 18 | January 9 | New Orleans Saints | L 20–30 | 7–10 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 32 |
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
The Falcons start their season off with a 26-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 25 |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 48 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Giants | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 0 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 34 |
| Falcons | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
| Falcons | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| Falcons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Saints | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Younghoe Koo kicked a game-winning field goal as time ran out, improving Atlanta to 4–4.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 43 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 25 |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 14 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 29 |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| 49ers | 3 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Bills | 14 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 29 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 7 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Coming off with a 2-point win in Week 9, they host the Saints. They were defeated by 10 points and finish their season with a 7-10 record.
| NFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 511 | 353 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 364 | 335 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 313 | 459 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 304 | 404 | L7 |
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division winners | |||||||||||
| 1[a] | Green Bay Packers | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .479 | .480 | L1 |
| 2[a] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .467 | .443 | W3 |
| 3[b] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .488 | .431 | W1 |
| 4[b] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .483 | .409 | L1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .490 | .492 | L1 |
| 6 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .500 | .438 | W2 |
| 7[c] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .469 | .350 | L1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
| 8[c] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .512 | .516 | W2 |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .507 | .434 | W1 |
| 10[d] | Washington Football Team | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .529 | .420 | W1 |
| 11[d][e] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .519 | .424 | W2 |
| 12[d][e] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .472 | .315 | L2 |
| 13 | Chicago Bears | North | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .524 | .373 | L1 |
| 14 | Carolina Panthers | South | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .509 | .412 | L7 |
| 15 | New York Giants | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .536 | .485 | L6 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .528 | .627 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers[f] | |||||||||||
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