2014 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2014 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and the seventh under head coach Mike Smith. The Falcons were defeated by the Carolina Panthers in week 17, officially eliminating them from postseason contention for the second straight year.[1] As a result, head coach Mike Smith was fired after his seventh year as coach, after two straight years with a losing record.[2]

2014 Atlanta Falcons season
Head coach	Mike Smith
General manager	Thomas Dimitroff
Owner	Arthur Blank
Home field	Georgia Dome
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	3rd NFC South
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	WR/RS Devin Hester WR Julio Jones QB Matt Ryan

The 2014 Atlanta Falcons were featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks.[3]

2014 draft class

2014 Atlanta Falcons Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	6	Jake Matthews	Offensive tackle	Texas A&M
2	37	Ra'Shede Hageman	Defensive tackle	Minnesota
3	68	Dezmen Southward	Free safety	Wisconsin
4	103	Devonta Freeman	Running back	Florida State
	139	Prince Shembo	Linebacker	Notre Dame
5	147	Ricardo Allen	Cornerback	Purdue
	168	Marquis Spruill	Linebacker	Syracuse
6	None — see below
7	253	Yawin Smallwood	Linebacker	Connecticut
	255	Tyler Starr	Linebacker	South Dakota

Compensatory selection

• Note: The Falcons traded their sixth- (No. 182 overall) and original seventh- (No. 220 overall) round selections to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' fifth-round selection (No. 168 overall).

Staff

2014 Atlanta Falcons staff

	Front office Owner/Chairman – Arthur Blank President/CEO – Rich McKay General Manager – Thomas Dimitroff Assistant General Manager – Scott Pioli Director of Player Personnel – Lionel Vital Director of Football Administration – Nick Polk Director of Pro Scouting – DeJuan Polk Director of College Scouting – Steve Sabo Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Smith Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers – Terry Robiskie Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Dirk Koetter Quarterbacks – Glenn Thomas Running Backs – Gerald Brown Tight Ends – Chris Scelfo Offensive Line – Mike Tice Assistant Offensive Line – Wade Harman Offensive Assistant – Andrew Weidinger			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Mike Nolan Defensive Line – Bryan Cox Inside Linebackers – Glenn Pires Outside Linebackers – Mark Collins Defensive Backs – Joe Danna Secondary – Tim Lewis Defensive Assistant – Andrew Thacker Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Keith Armstrong Assistant Special Teams – Eric Sutulovich Strength and conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – A.J. Neibel Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Jonas Beauchemin

Final roster

2014 Atlanta Falcons final roster

	Quarterbacks  2 Matt Ryan 13 T. J. Yates Running backs 42 Patrick DiMarco FB 24 Devonta Freeman 39 Steven Jackson 32 Jacquizz Rodgers 34 Jerome Smith Wide receivers 19 Drew Davis 83 Harry Douglas 17 Devin Hester RS 11 Julio Jones 14 Eric Weems 84 Roddy White Tight ends 86 Bear Pascoe 80 Levine Toilolo		Offensive linemen 75 Jon Asamoah G 63 Justin Blalock G 68 Gabe Carimi T 69 Harland Gunn G 70 Jake Matthews T 73 Ryan Schraeder T 64 Jonathan Scott T 62 James Stone C Defensive linemen 95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 71 Kroy Biermann DE 93 Malliciah Goodman DE 77 Ra'Shede Hageman DT 99 Tyson Jackson DE 90 Stansly Maponga DE 94 Jonathan Massaquoi DE 98 Cliff Matthews DE 91 Corey Peters DT 96 Paul Soliai DT 50 Osi Umenyiora DE		Linebackers 59 Joplo Bartu ILB 53 Prince Shembo ILB 54 Tyler Starr OLB 52 Nate Stupar ILB 55 Paul Worrilow ILB Defensive backs 37 Ricardo Allen CB 28 Javier Arenas CB 29 Sean Baker SS 30 Charles Godfrey FS 36 Kemal Ishmael SS 20 Dwight Lowery FS 27 Robert McClain CB 41 Dezmen Southward FS 21 Desmond Trufant CB 26 Josh Wilson CB Special teams  5 Matt Bosher P  3 Matt Bryant K 47 Josh Harris LS		Reserve lists 23 Robert Alford CB (IR) 72 Sam Baker OT (IR) 61 Joe Hawley C (IR) 76 Lamar Holmes OT (IR) 79 Mike Johnson OL (IR) 66 Peter Konz C (IR) 25 William Moore S (IR) 22 Zeke Motta S (PUP) 35 Antone Smith RB (IR) 51 Marquis Spruill LB (IR) 56 Sean Weatherspoon LB (IR) Practice squad 40 Brandan Bishop DB 74 Reid Fragel OT 92 Ricky Havili-Heimuli DT 43 Jordan Mabin CB 18 Freddie Martino WR 85 Kyle Miller TE 89 Bernard Reedy WR 67 Adam Replogle OL 45 Jacques Smith OLB 33 Ronnie Wingo RB Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 inactive, 10 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 8	Miami Dolphins	W 16–10	1–0	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	August 16	at Houston Texans	L 7–32	1–1	NRG Stadium	Recap
3	August 23	Tennessee Titans	L 17–24	1–2	Georgia Dome	Recap
4	August 28	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 24–14	2–2	EverBank Field	Recap

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 7	New Orleans Saints	W 37–34 (OT)	1–0	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	September 14	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 10–24	1–1	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
3	September 18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 56–14	2–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
4	September 28	at Minnesota Vikings	L 28–41	2–2	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
5	October 5	at New York Giants	L 20–30	2–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
6	October 12	Chicago Bears	L 13–27	2–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 19	at Baltimore Ravens	L 7–29	2–5	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
8	October 26	Detroit Lions	L 21–22	2–6	Wembley Stadium (London, England)	Recap
9	Bye
10	November 9	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27–17	3–6	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
11	November 16	at Carolina Panthers	W 19–17	4–6	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
12	November 23	Cleveland Browns	L 24–26	4–7	Georgia Dome	Recap
13	November 30	Arizona Cardinals	W 29–18	5–7	Georgia Dome	Recap
14	December 8	at Green Bay Packers	L 37–43	5–8	Lambeau Field	Recap
15	December 14	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 20–27	5–9	Georgia Dome	Recap
16	December 21	at New Orleans Saints	W 30–14	6–9	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Recap
17	December 28	Carolina Panthers	L 3–34	6–10	Georgia Dome	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week One: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Saints	6	14	0	14	0	34
Falcons	0	10	14	10	3	37

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,706
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter NO – 10:33 Shayne Graham 31-yard FG. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:27. (NO 3–0) NO – 4:39 Shayne Graham 50-yard FG. Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 3:59. (NO 6–0) Second quarter NO – 11:46 Khiry Robinson 2-yard run, Shayne Graham kick. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:10. (NO 13–0) ATL – 4:06 Roddy White 2-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 14 plays, 80, yards, 7:40. (NO 13–7) NO – 0:20 Brandin Cooks 3-yard TD pass from Drew Brees, Shayne Graham kick. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:46. (NO 20–7) ATL – 0:00 Matt Bryant 40-yard FG. Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 0:20. (NO 20–10) Third quarter ATL – 9:22 Levine Toilolo 1-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 5:38. (NO 20–17) ATL – 0:21 Antone Smith 54-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:31. (ATL 24–20) Fourth quarter NO – 8:46 Mark Ingram 3-yard TD run, Shayne Graham kick. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:35. (NO 27–24) ATL – 2:50 Jacquizz Rodgers 17-yard TD run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards, 3:26. (ATL 31–27) NO – 1:20 Mark Ingram 3-yard TD run, Shayne Graham kick. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 1:30. (NO 34–31) ATL – 0:00 Matt Bryant 51-yard FG. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 1:20. (TIE 34–34) Overtime ATL – 13:17 Matt Bryant 52-yard FG. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:32. (ATL 37–34) Top passers NO – Drew Brees – 29/42, 333 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 31/43, 448 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT Top rushers NO – Mark Ingram - 13 CAR, 60 YDS ATL – Steven Jackson – 12 CAR, 52 YDS Top receivers NO – Marques Colston - 5 REC, 110 YDS ATL – Julio Jones - 7 REC, 116 YDS Top tacklers NO – Curtis Lofton - 10 TACKLES ATL – Paul Worrilow - 15 TACKLES

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	0	0	7	10
Bengals	3	7	14	0	24

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 58,574
• Referee: Bill Vinovich
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter CIN – 5:19 Mike Nugent 31-yard FG. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:57. (CIN 3–0) ATL – 1:08 Matt Bryant 46-yard FG. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 4:11. (TIE 3–3) Second quarter CIN – 5:19 Giovani Bernard 4-yard run, Mike Nugent kick. Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 5:20. (CIN 10–3) Third quarter CIN – 10:58 Mohamed Sanu 76-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton, Mike Nugent kick. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:12. (CIN 17–3) CIN – 6:28 Jeremy Hill 1-yard run, Mike Nugent kick. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:14. (CIN 24–3) Fourth quarter ATL – 8:35 Julio Jones 14-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 3:59. (CIN 24–10) Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan - 24/44, 231 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT CIN – Andy Dalton - 15/23, 252 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT Top rushers ATL – Steven Jackson – 11 CAR, 46 YDS CIN – Giovani Bernard - 27 CAR, 90 YDS Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones - 7 REC, 88 YDS CIN – Mohamed Sanu - 3 REC, 84 YDS Top tacklers ATL – Paul Worrilow - 14 TACKLES CIN – Terence Newman - 10 TACKLES

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Three: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	0	0	14	14
Falcons	21	14	21	0	56

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 18
• Game time: 8:25 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,318
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad
• TV announcers (CBS/NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter ATL – 12:03 Harry Douglas 3-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:57. (ATL 7–0) ATL – 3:03 Julio Jones 8-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:14. (ATL 14–0) ATL – 2:38 Kemal Ishmael 23-yard TD interception return, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 0:25. (ATL 21–0) Second quarter ATL – 14:53 Devin Hester 20-yard run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:55. (ATL 28–0) ATL – 7:06 Devin Hester 62-yard punt return, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:44. (ATL 35–0) Third quarter ATL – 8:23 Julio Jones 40-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:39. (ATL 42–0) ATL – 8:11 Steven Jackson 2-yard run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 1 play, 2 yards, 0:07. (ATL 49–0) ATL – 1:47 Antone Smith 38-yard run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 5 play, 80 yards, 3:12. (ATL 56–0) Fourth quarter TB – 8:46 Vincent Jackson 3-yard TD pass from Mike Glennon, Patrick Murray kick. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:01. (ATL 56–7) TB – 7:07 Danny Lansanah 27-yard TD interception return, Patrick Murray kick. Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:39. (ATL 56–14) Top passers TB – Mike Glennon - 17/24, 121 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT ATL – Matt Ryan - 21/24, 286 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT Top rushers TB – Bobby Rainey - 11 CAR, 41 YDS ATL – Steven Jackson – 14 CAR, 54 YDS Top receivers TB – Bobby Rainey - 7 REC, 64 YDS ATL – Julio Jones - 9 REC, 161 YDS Top tacklers TB – Lavonte David - 8 TACKLES ATL – Robert McClain - 7 TACKLES

In this game, Devin Hester would break Deion Sanders's all-time record for punt/kick returns for touchdowns, with 20.[4]

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Four: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	7	14	0	28
Vikings	14	10	3	14	41

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 52,173
• Referee: Ron Torbert
• TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter MIN – 9:27 Matt Asiata 3-yard run, Blair Walsh kick. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:31. (MIN 7–0) ATL – 3:56 Roddy White 24-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:31. (TIE 7–7) MIN – 1:31 Matt Asiata 3-yard run, Blair Walsh kick. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:25. (MIN 14–7) Second quarter ATL – 5:56 Patrick DiMarco 1-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 5:26. (TIE 14–14) MIN – 9:27 Teddy Bridgewater 13-yard run, Blair Walsh kick. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:57. (MIN 21–14) MIN – 0:02 Blair Walsh 18-yard FG. Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards, 1:23. (MIN 24–14) Third quarter MIN – 10:40 Blair Walsh 41-yard FG. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:20. (MIN 27–14) ATL – 7:19 Devin Hester 36-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:21. (MIN 27–21) ATL – 1:31 Antone Smith 48-yard run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:16. (ATL 28–27) Fourth quarter MIN – 10:50 Matt Asiata 1-yard run, Teddy Bridewater pass to Rhett Ellison for 2-point conversion. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:51. (MIN 35–28) MIN – 3:38 Blair Walsh 55-yard FG. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:51. (MIN 38–28) MIN – 1:14 Blair Walsh 33-yard FG. Drive: 7 plays, 15 yards, 2:11. (MIN 41–28) Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan - 25/41, 298 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT MIN – Teddy Bridgewater - 19/30, 317 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT Top rushers ATL – Antone Smith - 4 CAR, 62 YDS MIN – Jerick McKinnon - 18 CAR, 135 YDS Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones - 6 REC, 82 YDS MIN – Jarius Wright - 8 REC, 132 YDS Top tacklers ATL – Paul Worrilow - 9 TACKLES MIN – Robert Blanton - 7 TACKLES

Week 5: at New York Giants

Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	6	7	0	20
Giants	7	3	7	13	30

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: October 5
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 80,307
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter NYG – 6:40 Rueben Randle 3-yard TD pass from Eli Manning, Josh Brown kick. Drive: 11 plays, 83 yards, 5:06. (NYG 7–0) ATL – 1:57 Steven Jackson 10-yard run, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:43. (TIE 7–7) Second quarter ATL – 14:15 Matt Bryant 20-yard FG. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:33. (ATL 10–7) NYG – 3:40 Josh Brown 49-yard FG. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 5:13. (TIE 10–10) ATL – 0:03 Matt Bryant 20-yard FG. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 3:37. (ATL 13–10) Third quarter ATL – 5:37 Antone Smith 74-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant kick. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:20. (ATL 20–10) NYG – 2:05 Andre Williams 3-yard run, Josh Brown kick. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 3:32. (ATL 10–17) Fourth quarter NYG – 10:02 Odell Beckham Jr. 3-yard TD pass from Eli Manning, Josh Brown kick. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:22. (NYG 24–20) NYG – 5:01 Josh Brown 50-yard FG. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 3:22. (NYG 27–20) NYG – 2:08 Josh Brown 26-yard FG. Drive: 7 plays, 10 yards, 2:26. (NYG 30–20) Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan - 29/45, 316 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT NYG – Eli Manning - 19/30, 200 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman - 4 CAR, 38 YDS NYG – Andre Williams - 20 CAR, 65 YDS Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones - 11 REC, 105 YDS NYG – Preston Parker - 3 REC, 61 YDS Top tacklers ATL – Worrilow, Shembo, Ishmael - 14 TACKLES NYG – Jacquian Williams - 14 TACKLES

Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Six: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	13	6	8	27
Falcons	3	0	10	0	13

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,712
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (Fox): Justin Kutcher, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CHI – ATL – Top rushers CHI – ATL – Top receivers CHI – ATL – Top tacklers CHI – ATL –

Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	0	7	7
Ravens	7	10	3	9	29

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 71,184
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (Fox): Justin Kutcher, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – BAL – Top rushers ATL – BAL – Top receivers ATL – BAL – Top tacklers ATL – BAL –

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions

NFL International Series

Week Eight: Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	10	12	22
Falcons	14	7	0	0	21

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. EDT
• Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), overcast
• Game attendance: 83,532
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Charissa Thompson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers DET – ATL – Top rushers DET – ATL – Top receivers DET – ATL – Top tacklers DET – ATL –

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	6	3	11	27
Buccaneers	3	7	0	7	17

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 57,751
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – TB – Top rushers ATL – TB – Top receivers ATL – TB – Top tacklers ATL – TB –

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers

Week Eleven: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	6	10	3	19
Panthers	0	3	0	14	17

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 73,314
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – CAR – Top rushers ATL – CAR – Top receivers ATL – CAR – Top tacklers ATL – CAR –

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	6	10	3	26
Falcons	7	7	0	10	24

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,046
• Referee: Brad Allen
• TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein and Steve Tasker
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CLE – ATL – Top rushers CLE – ATL – Top receivers CLE – ATL – Top tacklers CLE – ATL –

Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Thirteen: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	10	0	8	18
Falcons	17	3	3	6	29

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 30
• Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 69,557
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – ATL – Top rushers ARI – ATL – Top receivers ARI – ATL – Top tacklers ARI – ATL –

Week 14: at Green Bay Packers

Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	0	10	20	37
Packers	7	24	3	9	43

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: December 8
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), flurries
• Game attendance: 77,512
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – GB – Top rushers ATL – GB – Top receivers ATL – GB – Top tacklers ATL – GB –

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Fifteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	6	14	0	7	27
Falcons	0	7	6	7	20

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 14
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 71,161
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers PIT – ATL – Top rushers PIT – ATL – Top receivers PIT – ATL – Top tacklers PIT – ATL –

The Falcons were the only NFC South team to lose to all of their AFC North opponents

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints

Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	10	7	10	30
Saints	7	0	0	7	14

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: December 21
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 73,164
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – NO – Top rushers ATL – NO – Top receivers ATL – NO – Top tacklers ATL – NO –

With the win, the Falcons swept the Saints for the 1st time since 2005 and eliminated their opponent from postseason contention.

Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Seventeen: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	10	14	10	0	34
Falcons	0	3	0	0	3

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 28
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 71,015
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CAR – ATL – Top rushers CAR – ATL – Top receivers CAR – ATL – Top tacklers CAR – ATL –

Standings

Division

NFC South
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(4) Carolina Panthers	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	339	374	W4
New Orleans Saints	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	401	424	W1
Atlanta Falcons	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	381	417	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	277	410	L6

Conference

NFC[5][6]
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1]	Seattle Seahawks	West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	.525	.513	W6
2[lower-alpha 1]	Green Bay Packers	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.482	.440	W2
3[lower-alpha 1]	Dallas Cowboys	East	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	.445	.422	W4
4	Carolina Panthers	South	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	.490	.357	W4
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 2]	Arizona Cardinals	West	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	.523	.477	L2
6[lower-alpha 2]	Detroit Lions	North	11	5	0	.688	5–1	9–3	.471	.392	L1
Did not qualify for the playoffs
7	Philadelphia Eagles	East	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	.490	.416	W1
8	San Francisco 49ers	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	7–5	.527	.508	W1
9[lower-alpha 3]	New Orleans Saints	South	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.486	.415	W1
10[lower-alpha 3]	Minnesota Vikings	North	7	9	0	.438	1–5	6–6	.475	.308	W1
11[lower-alpha 4]	New York Giants	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.512	.323	L1
12[lower-alpha 4]	Atlanta Falcons	South	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	.482	.380	L1
13[lower-alpha 4]	St. Louis Rams	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.531	.427	L3
14	Chicago Bears	North	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	.529	.338	L5
15	Washington Redskins	East	4	12	0	.250	2–4	2–10	.496	.422	L1
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	.486	.469	L6
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas were ranked in seeds 1–3 based on conference record. Arizona defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 11, 14–6). New Orleans defeated Minnesota head-to-head (Week 3, 20–9). The New York Giants defeated both Atlanta and St. Louis head-to-head (Atlanta: Week 5, 30–20; St. Louis: Week 16, 37–27), while Atlanta finished ahead of St. Louis based on conference record. 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.

Use of artificial crowd noise

Shortly after the end of the post-season the Falcons were investigated by the League for piping artificial crowd noise during opponent's offensive snaps at home games during the 2013 season and the 2014 season.[7] Team owner Arthur Blank stated that he was "angry and embarrassed" about the allegations, and has allegedly acknowledged the validity of the accusations, stating "I think what we've done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong", and promising to cooperate fully with the investigation.[8] The NFL fined the Falcons $350,000 and took away a fifth round draft pick in the 2016 draft as punishment.[9]

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-12-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12091459/atlanta-falcons-fire-mike-smith
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000399881/article/devin-hesters-recordbreaking-return-td-is-best-of-week-3
5. "2014 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
6. "2014 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
7. "Atlanta Falcons under NFL investigation for fake crowd noise at Georgia Dome: report". New York Daily News. 1 February 2015.
8. Jay Busbee (3 February 2015). "Falcons' Arthur Blank on crowd noise: 'What we've done ... is wrong'". Yahoo! Sports.
9. "Atlanta Falcons lose 2016 draft pick, fined $350,000 by NFL for Noisegate". Alabama Living. 30 March 2015.

External links

• Official website