2016 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2016 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League and the second under head coach Dan Quinn. It also marked the team's 25th and final season playing their home games at the Georgia Dome, as the Falcons moved into the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. The Falcons won the NFC South for the first time since 2012 and improved on their 8–8 record from 2015, going 11–5 and earning the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Quarterback Matt Ryan was named the 2016 NFL MVP. The Falcons scored 540 points, the most in the NFL for 2016.

2016 Atlanta Falcons season
Head coachDan Quinn
General managerThomas Dimitroff
OwnerArthur Blank
Home fieldGeorgia Dome
Results
Record11–5
Division place1st NFC South
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs (vs. Seahawks) 36–20
Won NFC Championship (vs. Packers) 44–21
Lost Super Bowl LI (vs. Patriots) 28–34 (OT)
Pro BowlersSelected but did not participate due to participation in Super Bowl LI:
LB Vic Beasley
K Matt Bryant
RB Devonta Freeman
WR Julio Jones
C Alex Mack
QB Matt Ryan
AP All-Pros
Uniform

The Falcons defeated the Seattle Seahawks 36–20 in the Divisional Round to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2012. In the NFC Championship game, they defeated the Green Bay Packers, 44–21, to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; they had competed in Super Bowl XXXIII 18 years earlier. In Super Bowl LI, the Falcons faced the New England Patriots, and built a 28–3 lead midway through the third quarter. The Patriots scored 25 unanswered points, forcing overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history where they went on to win 34–28.

Free agents
PositionPlayerTag2016 TeamNotes
SRicardo AllenAtlanta Falcons
DEKroy BiermannUFABuffalo Bills
GChris ChesterUFAAtlanta Falcons
DEAdrian ClaybornAtlanta Falcons
SCharles GodfreyAtlanta Falcons
PKShayne GrahamUFANoneRetired
CGino GradkowskiCarolina Panthers
TBryce HarrisUFAAtlanta Falcons
TJake LongMinnesota Vikings
TETony MoeakiUFAChicago Bears
TRyan SchraederAtlanta Falcons
LBNathan StuparNew Orleans Saints
TED.J. TialaveaAtlanta Falcons
LBPhilip WheelerUFAAtlanta Falcons
LBPaul WorrilowAtlanta Falcons

Draft
Main article: 2016 NFL Draft
2016 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 17 Keanu Neal *  SS Florida
2 50 Deion Jones *  OLB LSU
3 81 Austin Hooper *  TE Stanford
4 115 De'Vondre Campbell  OLB Minnesota
6 195 Wes Schweitzer  G San Jose State
7 238 Devin Fuller  WR UCLA
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • The Falcons did not select a player in the fifth round:
    • The team forfeited their fifth-round selection as the punishment for piping artificial crowd noise into the Georgia Dome during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. If the Falcons receive multiple fifth-round selections, the team will forfeit its first fifth-round selection;
    • The Falcons traded their sixth-round selection (No. 193) to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for guard Andy Levitre and a future undisclosed selection. They subsequently acquired Pick No. 195 from the New York Jets.

Staff
2016 Atlanta Falcons staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Coaching Support Staff
  • Assistant to the Head Coach – Steve Scarnecchia

Strength and conditioning

  • Athletic Performance Manager – A.J. Neibel
  • Head Strength and Conditioning – Jesse Ackerman
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jonas Beauchemin

Final roster
2016 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, 11 inactive, 10 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule
Falcons players at training camp, July 2016.

The Falcons preseason opponents and schedule were announced on April 7, 2016, the opponents being the Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1 August 11 Washington Redskins W 23–17 1–0 Georgia Dome Recap
2 August 18 at Cleveland Browns W 24–13 2–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
3 August 25 at Miami Dolphins L 6–17 2–1 Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) Recap
4 September 1 Jacksonville Jaguars W 17–15 3–1 Georgia Dome Recap

Regular season

Schedule
WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1 September 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 24–31 0–1 Georgia Dome Recap
2 September 18 at Oakland Raiders W 35–28 1–1 Oakland Alameda Coliseum Recap
3 September 26 at New Orleans Saints W 45–32 2–1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
4 October 2 Carolina Panthers W 48–33 3–1 Georgia Dome Recap
5 October 9 at Denver Broncos W 23–16 4–1 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
6 October 16 at Seattle Seahawks L 24–26 4–2 CenturyLink Field Recap
7 October 23 San Diego Chargers L 30–33 (OT) 4–3 Georgia Dome Recap
8 October 30 Green Bay Packers W 33–32 5–3 Georgia Dome Recap
9 November 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 43–28 6–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap
10 November 13 at Philadelphia Eagles L 15–24 6–4 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
11 Bye
12 November 27 Arizona Cardinals W 38–19 7–4 Georgia Dome Recap
13 December 4 Kansas City Chiefs L 28–29 7–5 Georgia Dome Recap
14 December 11 at Los Angeles Rams W 42–14 8–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
15 December 18 San Francisco 49ers W 41–13 9–5 Georgia Dome Recap
16 December 24 at Carolina Panthers W 33–16 10–5 Bank of America Stadium Recap
17 January 1 New Orleans Saints W 38–32 11–5 Georgia Dome Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week One: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 14 14031
Falcons 10 3 8324

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

With the loss, the Falcons started their season 0–1 for the first time since 2013.

Week 2: at Oakland Raiders
Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 13 81435
Raiders 0 7 71428

at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 1–1.

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints
Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 21 10745
Saints 7 10 8732

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week Four: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 10 02333
Falcons 14 3 141748

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Matt Ryan and Julio Jones made Falcons team history as Ryan exploded to 503 passing yards and Jones caught twelve passes for 300 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first quarterback-receiver duo to break 500 passing yards and 300 receiving yards in club history and the first such tandem in the NFL's Super Bowl era.[1] Cam Newton was knocked out of the game with a concussion incurred on a two-point conversion run. With the win, the Falcons improved to 3–1.

Week 5: at Denver Broncos
Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 3 7323
Broncos 0 3 01316

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 4–1 for the first time since 2010.

Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks
Week Six: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 21024
Seahawks 7 10 0926

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 69,071
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 4–2.

Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 7 10 310333
Falcons 6 21 03030

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Falcons wore their black throwback uniforms for this game. With the game tied at 30–30, a missed 58-yarder by Matt Bryant forced the game into overtime. The Falcons received the ball first in overtime but turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth down. Josh Lambo kicked a 42-yard field goal in overtime to seal a 33–30 victory for the Chargers. With the brutal loss, the Falcons dropped to 4–3 for the first time since 2009.

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week Eight: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Packers 7 17 0832
Falcons 10 9 7733

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3.

Week 9: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 10 131043
Buccaneers 7 7 01428

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Despite Mike Evans finishing the game with 11 receptions for 150 yards and two scores, the Falcons still managed to beat Tampa Bay on the road, 43–28. With the win, the Falcons improved to 6–3.

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 6 3615
Eagles 7 0 31424

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 6–4.

Week 12: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week Twelve: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 6 0619
Falcons 7 10 71438

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 69,233
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the impressvive win, the Falcons improved to 7–4.

Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 6 14 7229
Falcons 10 6 01228

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Falcons trailed 27–16 going into the fourth quarter, and took the lead through a 1-yard touchdown run by Devonta Freeman, followed by a 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan to Aldrick Robinson. Having failed on the two-point conversion following Freeman's touchdown, they tried for two points again after Robinson's catch with the aim of securing a three-point lead going into the last four minutes of the game; however, Chiefs safety Eric Berry intercepted Ryan's attempted pass and returned it all the way to the Atlanta end zone for a defensive two-point conversion that gave Kansas City a 29–28 lead that they were able to defend for the remainder of the game. With the heartbreaking loss, the Falcons dropped to 7–5 for the first time since 2005.

Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams
Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 14 21042
Rams 0 0 01414

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 82,495
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the impressive win, the Falcons improved to 8–5.

Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
49ers 0 13 0013
Falcons 21 7 10341

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 9–5.

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers
Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 13 7 31033
Panthers 0 3 10316

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 73,549
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the win, the Falcons improved to 10–5.

Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week Seventeen: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Saints 10 3 01932
Falcons 14 21 3038

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 70,835
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

This was the Falcons' final regular season game at the Georgia Dome. With the win, the Falcons finished their season at 11–5.

Postseason

Schedule
See also: 2016–17 NFL playoffs
Playoff roundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 14, 2017 Seattle Seahawks (3) W 36–20 1–0 Georgia Dome Recap
NFC Championship January 22, 2017 Green Bay Packers (4) W 44–21 2–0 Georgia Dome Recap
Super Bowl LI February 5, 2017 vs. New England Patriots (A1) L 28–34 (OT) 2–1 NRG Stadium Recap

Game summaries

NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (#3) Seattle Seahawks
NFC Divisional Playoffs: (#3) Seattle Seahawks at (#2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 3 3720
Falcons 0 19 71036

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

After coming off a first round bye, the Falcons hosted the Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Falcons trailed midway through the first quarter when the Seahawks went up 7–0 from a 7-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Jimmy Graham. In the second quarter, Atlanta tied the game 7–7 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones. On the next Seattle drive, the Seahawks took a 10–7 lead with a 33-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka.[2][3]

The next Falcons drive ended in a three and out. On the ensuing punt, Seattle's Devin Hester returned the punt 80-yards to Atlanta's 7-yard line. However, that punt return was called back on a penalty, forcing Seattle to start at its own 7-yard line. After Thomas Rawls was tackled for a 3-yard loss, Wilson attempted to drop back to pass. However, while doing so, Wilson tripped over Rees Odhiambo's foot and was tackled in the end zone, leading to a safety for Atlanta. Receiving the ball following the safety, Atlanta took its first lead of the game on a 35-yard field goal from Matt Bryant. After forcing Seattle to Punt, the Falcons took a 19–10 lead going into halftime on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Coleman.[2][3]

Atlanta remained ahead for the rest of the game, eventually beating Seattle 36–20. With the win, the Falcons improved their record to 12–5. Matt Ryan threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns and improved his playoff record to 2–4, with both of his playoff wins (up to that point) coming against the Seahawks.[3] This was speculated to be the last NFL game ever in the Georgia Dome, but when the fourth-seeded Green Bay Packers upset the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys in the other Divisional Playoff the next day, Atlanta was named the host of the NFC Championship Game, the last ever game in the Dome.

NFC Championship Game: vs. (#4) Green Bay Packers
NFC Championship Game: (#4) Green Bay Packers at (#2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Packers 0 0 15621
Falcons 10 14 13744

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: January 22, 2017
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 71,127
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

This was the Falcons' final game ever in the Georgia Dome after 25 seasons, as the team moved into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017. The Falcons never trailed in the game, scoring 31 unanswered points until Rodgers threw a touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter to give Green Bay its first points. The Falcons won 44–21 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since their 1998 season, as well as the second time in franchise history. Matt Ryan had a big game, throwing 4 touchdown passes and running for another score. His 392 yards were the second-most ever thrown in a Championship Game, only behind his 396 yards in the 2012 NFC Championship Games versus the San Francisco 49ers. Julio Jones was another huge part of the Falcons win, with 9 catches, 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of the scores came on a 73-yard tackle-breaking catch. The Falcons' defense held fellow MVP-candidate Rodgers and his offense in check most of the game, forcing several hurries and drops. They also forced 2 turnovers, one was a fumble that was forced and then recovered by Jalen Collins on Packers Aaron Ripkowski, and the other one of them coming on a 3rd and 21 pass by Rodgers, that Ricardo Allen intercepted.

Super Bowl LI: vs. New England Patriots
See also: Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Patriots 0 3 619634
Falcons 0 21 70028

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: February 5, 2017
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,807
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Falcons led the game 28-3 into the third quarter before the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie at 28 all, and create the first Super Bowl game to go into overtime. The Patriots won the coin-toss and won the game via a James White touchdown. This ended the Falcons' season record at 13–6.[4]

Standings

Division
NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Atlanta Falcons 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 540 406 W4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 354 369 W1
New Orleans Saints 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 469 454 L1
Carolina Panthers 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 369 402 L2

Conference
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East 13 3 0 .813 3–3 9–3 .471 .440 L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .480 .452 W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West 10 5 1 .656 3–2–1 6–5–1 .441 .425 W1
4 Green Bay Packers North 10 6 0 .625 5–1 8–4 .508 .453 W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .486 .455 W1
6[lower-alpha 1] Detroit Lions North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .475 .392 L3
Did not qualify for the playoffs
7[lower-alpha 1] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 .492 .434 W1
8 Washington Redskins East 8 7 1 .531 3–3 6–6 .516 .430 L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 .492 .457 W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West 7 8 1 .469 4–1–1 6–5–1 .463 .366 W2
11[lower-alpha 2] New Orleans Saints South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 .523 .393 L1
12[lower-alpha 2] Philadelphia Eagles East 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .559 .518 W2
13 Carolina Panthers South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 .518 .354 L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .504 .500 L7
15 Chicago Bears North 3 13 0 .188 2–4 3–9 .521 .396 L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 .504 .250 L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 3]
  1. Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Detroit's cumulative record against
    Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. 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.
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References
  1. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones set records in win over Panthers from NFL.com
  2. Seahawks vs. Falcons play-by-play. January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  3. Ryan leads Falcons to NFC title game, beating Seattle 36-20. ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  4. "2016 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
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