The Atlanta Falcons are an American professional gridiron football club headquartered in Atlanta that competes in the National Football League's National Football Conference (NFC). The Falcons have two NFC titles to their credit (1999 and 2017). They have also made the NFL Championship game on seven occasions, most recently after appearing in the title game in 2016 and 2017. They have yet to win a Super Bowl.
They have never won a Super Bowl despite having six seasons with 10 or more wins and three with at least 11. The closest they came was when they were defeated by New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. It is worth mentioning that since the merger, only the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone longer without winning a championship. They last did so in 2004 - 2005 season when they were defeated by the Oakland Raiders.
In addition to the Patriots, the Falcons have also been involved in several controversial finishes during the playoffs. Most notably, their 1999 season ended with a loss to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers in what many consider one of the greatest games ever played in the postseason. The following year they defeated Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game before being defeated by New York Giants in Super Bowl XLV.
Furthermore, there is no denying the impact of former Georgia quarterback Matt Ryan on his team's success. He is the first rookie quarterback to win the MVP award since Terry Bradshaw in 1975.
The Atlanta Falcons are an American football professional team headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons are a part of the National Football League's (NFL) National Football Conference (NFC) South division. They began play in 1966 as a charter member of what was then called the American Football League (AFL). The team is owned by Arthur M. Blank, who also owns the network of same name. The Falcons' home stadium is Georgia World Congress Center-connected Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
They have won five NFL championships: 1972, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1990. The franchise has also appeared in six Super Bowls (II, III, IV, VII, VIII, IX), winning three of them. Their most recent championship victory came in Super Bowl LI over the New England Patriots.
The Falcons are one of two teams that have never lost a game played during their opening season. The other team is the 1969 Houston Oilers. The only other AFL/NFL merger partner to win its first five games is the 1970 Baltimore Colts. Both franchises were known as the Colts before the start of the 1969 season.
Atlanta has hosted four of the league's championship events. The largest crowd to ever witness a football game is also located in Atlanta - 92,173 people attended the 1980 NFC Championship Game between the Falcons and Minnesota Vikings at Fulton County Stadium.
The Atlanta Falcons are an American professional football team headquartered in Atlanta. The Falcons are a part of the National Football League (NFLNational )'s Football Conference (NFC) South division. In the NFC South, the Falcons are rivals with the Carolina Panthers and the Saints.
The Falcons have only won one playoff game so far - a 36-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the 1998 NFC Championship Game. That was also the last time the Falcons had a winning record until 2000 when they went 9-7. Since then, they've been no better than 6-10 every year except for 2003 when they reached Super Bowl XXXVII where they lost to the New England Patriots 28-32.
The Falcons played their first game on September 7, 1966, at home against their rival the Green Bay Packers. They lost that game 10-14. Hall of Famer Paul "Bear" Bryant of the Alabama Crimson Tide was the coach from 1966 to 1971. He led the Falcons to a 26-40 record during those three years. In 1972, Ken Hatfield took over as head coach and he's still leading the team today in his 20th season. Hatfield has a 216-175-1 record and is one of four coaches to lead their team to a win in their opening game of the season.
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