2016 Atlanta Falcons season

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2016 Atlanta Falcons season
OwnerArthur Blank
General managerThomas Dimitroff
Head coachDan Quinn
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 Bowlers
6
AP All-Pros
4
Uniform

The 2016 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) 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 and 8th all-time. The team scored fewer than 23 points only once all season: a 24–15 loss to the Eagles.

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 up a 28–3 lead midway through the third quarter. However, the Patriots subsequently scored 25 unanswered points, forcing overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history, where they went on to win 34–28.

Free agents

Position Player Tag 2016 Team Notes
S Ricardo Allen Atlanta Falcons
DE Kroy Biermann UFA Buffalo Bills
G
Chris Chester UFA Atlanta Falcons
DE Adrian Clayborn Atlanta Falcons
S Charles Godfrey Atlanta Falcons
PK Shayne Graham UFA None Retired
C Gino Gradkowski Carolina Panthers
T
Bryce Harris UFA Atlanta Falcons
T
Jake Long Minnesota Vikings
TE Tony Moeaki UFA Chicago Bears
T
Ryan Schraeder Atlanta Falcons
LB
Nathan Stupar
New Orleans Saints
TE
D.J. Tialavea
Atlanta Falcons
LB Philip Wheeler UFA Atlanta Falcons
LB Paul Worrilow Atlanta Falcons

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

  • Head coach – Dan Quinn
  • Assistant head coach/wide receivers – Raheem Morris
  • Assistant to the head coach –
    Steve Scarnecchia

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

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
  • 87
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 36
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 25
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 74
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 90
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • --
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 83
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 21
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 56
    IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 9 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.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 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) Recap
4 September 1 Jacksonville Jaguars W 17–15 3–1 Georgia Dome Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 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
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 14 14031
Falcons 10 3 8324

at

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

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
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 21 10745
Saints 7 10 8732

at

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
Period 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
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 3 7323
Broncos 0 3 01316

at

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
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 21024
Seahawks 7 10 0926

at

Seattle, Washington

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EDT/1:25 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 69,071
  • Referee:
    Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

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

Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers

Game information

The Falcons blew a 17-point lead and lost to the Chargers, 33-30. They 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. This is the final game the Falcons played against the San Diego-based Chargers.

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

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
Period 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
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 6 3615
Eagles 7 0 31424

at

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
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 6 0619
Falcons 7 10 71438

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. 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 impressive win, the Falcons improved to 7–4.

Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 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 loss, the Falcons dropped to 7–5 for the first time since 2011.

Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams

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

at

Los Angeles, California

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST/1:25 pm. 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 win, the Falcons improved to 8–5.

Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 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
Period 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 pm. 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
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 10 3 01932
Falcons 14 21 3038

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. 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

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue 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
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 3 3720
Falcons 0 19 71036

at

Atlanta, Georgia

Game information