2016 Atlanta Falcons season

NFL team season February 2017 March 2026 Atlanta Falcons 2016 11–5 1st NFC South Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Seahawks) 36–20 Won NFC Championship(vs. Packers) 44–21 Lost Super Bowl LI(vs. Patriots) 28–34 (OT Overtime) Dan Quinn Kyle Shanahan Richard Smith Arthur Blank Thomas Dimitroff Georgia Dome 6 Selected but did not participate due to participation in Super Bowl LI: QB Matt Ryan RB Devonta Freeman WR Julio Jones C Alex Mack OLB Vic Beasley K Matt Bryant 4 QB Matt Ryan (1st team) WR Julio Jones (1st team) OLB Vic Beasley (1st team) C Alex Mack (2nd team) File:Atlanta falcons unif 16.png Falcons seasons The 2016 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 51st in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Dan Quinn. It also marked the team's 25th and final season playing their home games at the Georgia Dome, ahead of their move to 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 AP NFL Most Valuable Player (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 road loss to the Eagles in the Week 10. 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. There, the Falcons failed to slow the Patriots down, and were defeated by a score of 34–28. As of 2026, this season remains the last time the Falcons have won the NFC South. 3 Free agents Position Player Tag 2016 Team Notes S Ricardo Allen Atlanta Falcons DE Kroy Biermann UFA Unrestricted Free Agent Buffalo Bills G Chris Chester UFA Unrestricted Free Agent Atlanta Falcons DE Adrian Clayborn Atlanta Falcons S Charles Godfrey Atlanta Falcons K Shayne Graham UFA Unrestricted Free Agent None Retired C Gino Gradkowski Carolina Panthers OT Bryce Harris UFA Unrestricted Free Agent Atlanta Falcons OT Jake Long Minnesota Vikings TE Tony Moeaki UFA Unrestricted Free Agent Chicago Bears OT Ryan Schraeder Atlanta Falcons MLB Nathan Stupar New Orleans Saints TE D.J. Tialavea Atlanta Falcons OLB Philip Wheeler UFA Unrestricted Free Agent Atlanta Falcons OLB Paul Worrilow Atlanta Falcons Draft 2016 NFL draft 2016 Atlanta Falcons 1 17 Keanu Neal SS Florida yes yes 2 50 Deion Jones OLB LSU yes yes 3 81 Austin Hooper TE Stanford yes yes 4 115 De'Vondre Campbell OLB Minnesota yes 6 195 Wes Schweitzer G San Jose State yes 7 238 Devin Fuller WR UCLA yes Notes The Falcons did not select a player in the fifth round:2016 NFL Draft Listing https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2016/draft.htm 2025-01-19 Pro-Football-Reference.com en 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 Owner/Chairman – Arthur M. Blank President/CEO – Rich McKay general manager – Thomas Dimitroff Assistant general manager – Scott Pioli Director of pro personnel – Joel Collier Director, Football Operations – Nick Polk Director of college scouting – Steve Sabo National Scout – Ruston Webster National Scout – Phil Emery Head coach – Dan Quinn Assistant head coach/wide receivers – Raheem Morris Assistant to the head coach – Steve Scarnecchia Offensive coordinator – Kyle Shanahan Quarterbacks – Matt LaFleur Running backs – Bobby Turner Tight ends – Wade Harman Offensive line – Chris Morgan Assistant offensive line – Keith Carter Offensive assistant – Mike LaFleur Offensive assistant – Mike McDaniel Defensive coordinator – Richard Smith Defensive line – Bryan Cox Linebackers – Jeff Ulbrich Passing game coordinator – Jerome Henderson Senior defensive assistant/secondary – Marquand Manuel Defensive assistant/linebackers – Doug Mallory Defensive assistant/defensive backs – Chad Walker Special teams coordinator – Keith Armstrong Assistant special teams – Eric Sutulovich Athletic performance manager – A.J. Neibel Head strength and conditioning – Jesse Ackerman Assistant strength and conditioning – Jonas Beauchemin Final roster 2016 Atlanta Falcons 53 9 10  2 Matt Ryan American football  8 Matt Schaub 26 Tevin Coleman 42 Patrick DiMarco 24 Devonta Freeman 28 Terron Ward 18 Taylor Gabriel 16 Justin Hardy 11 Julio Jones 19 Aldrick Robinson 12 Mohamed Sanu 14 Eric Weems 15 Nick Williams wide receiver 81 Austin Hooper y 82 Joshua Perkins y 86 D. J. Tialavea 80 Levine Toilolo 65 Chris Chester American football G 76 Tom Compton T 63 Ben Garland C 67 Andy Levitre G 51 Alex Mack C 70 Jake Matthews American football T 73 Ryan Schraeder T 71 Wes Schweitzer G y 95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 99 Adrian Clayborn DE 93 Dwight Freeney DE 77 Ra'Shede Hageman DT 94 Tyson Jackson DE 97 Grady Jarrett DT 50 Brooks Reed DE 91 Courtney Upshaw DE 44 Vic Beasley OLB 59 De'Vondre Campbell y OLB 45 Deion Jones y MLB 52 Josh Keyes American football OLB 53 LaRoy Reynolds MLB 41 Philip Wheeler OLB 55 Paul Worrilow OLB 23 Robert Alford American football CB 37 Ricardo Allen FS 32 Jalen Collins CB 38 Dashon Goldson SS 29 C. J. Goodwin CB 22 Keanu Neal y SS 20 Sharrod Neasman y FS 30 Deji Olatoye CB 34 Brian Poole American football CB y 33 Blidi Wreh-Wilson CB  5 Matt Bosher P  3 Matt Bryant K 47 Josh Harris long snapper LS 87 Devin Fuller y WR IR 36 Kemal Ishmael SS IR 25 Akeem King CB IR 74 Chris Mayes y DT IR 90 Derrick Shelby DE IR -- Tyler Starr OLB IR 83 Jacob Tamme TE IR 21 Desmond Trufant CB IR 56 Sean Weatherspoon OLB IR 61 Carter Bykowski T 13 B. J. Daniels American football WR 66 Kevin Graf T 49 Darion Griswold TE y 98 Martin Ifedi DE 64 Blake Muir G y 35 Jhurell Pressley y RB  4 Matt Simms American football QB 92 Joe Vellano DT 38 Ryan White American football CB y Preseason Schedule thumb|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, 2016 Washington Redskins W 23–17 1–0 Georgia Dome Recap 2 August 18, 2016 at Cleveland Browns W 24–13 2–0 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap 3 August 25, 2016 at Miami Dolphins L 6–17 2–1 Camping World Stadium (Orlando) Recap 4 September 1, 2016 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, 2016 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, 2016 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 11Bye 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, 2016 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 Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week One: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary September 11 1:00 p.m. EDT Buccaneers 3 14 14 0 Falcons 10 3 8 3 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 69,382 Played indoors (dome stadium) Jeff Triplette Fox Sam Rosen, David Diehl and Holly Sonders Recap, Gamebook First quarter TB – Roberto Aguayo 43-yard field goal, 9:57. Buccaneers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 3:02. ATL – Matt Bryant 34-yard field goal, 7:13. Tied 3–3. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 2:44. ATL – Mohamed Sanu 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:16. Falcons 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 2:20. Second quarter TB – Brandon Myers 4-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Roberto Aguayo kick), 10:31. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:46. ATL – Matt Bryant 34-yard field goal, 1:50. Falcons 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:14. TB – Charles Sims 23-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Roberto Aguayo kick), 0:24. Buccaneers 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 1:31. Third quarter TB – Austin Seferian-Jenkins 30-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Roberto Aguayo kick), 13:02. Buccaneers 24–13. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:06. TB – Mike Evans 45-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Robert Aguayo kick), 5:21. Buccaneers 31–13. Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 3:16. ATL – Julio Jones 25-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Ryan–Mohamed Sanu pass), 1:42. Buccaneers 31–21. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:37. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 4:59. Buccaneers 31–24. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 4:54. Top passers TB – Jameis Winston – 23/32, 281 yards, 4 TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/39, 334 yards, 2 TD Top rushers TB – Doug Martin – 18 rushes, 62 yards ATL – Tevin Coleman – 8 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers TB – Mike Evans – 5 receptions, 99 yards, TD ATL – Tevin Coleman – 5 receptions, 95 yards With the loss, the Falcons started their season 0–1 for the first time since 2013. Week 2: at Oakland Raiders Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Oakland Raiders – Game summary September 18 4:25 pm. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT Falcons 0 13 8 14 Raiders 0 7 7 14 Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California 54,081 79 F C, sunny Clete Blakeman CBS Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon Recap, Gamebook First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 21-yard field goal, 11:58. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 4:55. OAK – Latavius Murray 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 7:51. Raiders 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 91 yards, 4:07. ATL – Julio Jones 21-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 4:46. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:05. ATL – Matt Bryant 20-yard field goal, 0:38. Falcons 13–7. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:55. Third quarter OAK – Clive Walford 31-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 11:17. Raiders 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 3:43. ATL – Jacob Tamme 14-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Ryan run), 3:42. Falcons 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 85 yards, 1:54. Fourth quarter OAK – Michael Crabtree 2-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 12:00. Tied 21–21. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:42. ATL – Justin Hardy 13-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 9:29. Falcons 28–21. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:31. ATL – Tevin Coleman 13-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 4:35. Falcons 35–21. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:37. OAK – Andre Holmes 6-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 2:12. Falcons 35–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:23. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 26/34, 396 yards, 3 TD, INT OAK – Derek Carr – 34/45, 299 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 17 rushes, 93 yards OAK – Latavius Murray – 8 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 5 receptions, 106 yards, TD OAK – Amari Cooper – 5 receptions, 71 yards With the win, the Falcons improved to 1–1. Week 3: at New Orleans Saints Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary September 26 Monday 8:30 pm. EDT/7:30 p.m. CDT Falcons 7 21 10 7 Saints 7 10 8 7 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 73,003 Played indoors (dome stadium) Pete Morelli ESPN Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters Recap, Gamebook First quarter NO – Coby Fleener 2-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 8:25. Saints 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75, yards, 6:35. ATL – Tevin Coleman 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 5:21. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 0:52. Second quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 13-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 14:53. Falcons 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 74, yards, 5:08. NO – Michael Thomas 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:55. Tied 14–14. Drive: 12 plays, 75, yards, 4:58. ATL – Tevin Coleman 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 5:31. Falcons 21–14. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:24. ATL – Justin Hardy 4-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:28. Falcons 28–14. Drive: 8 plays, 94, yards, 1:23. NO – Wil Lutz 57-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 28–17. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 0:28. Third quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 6-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 12:03. Falcons 35–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:57. NO – John Kuhn 3-yard run (Mark Ingram II run), 7:38. Falcons 35–25. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:25. ATL – Matt Bryant 21-yard field goal, 2:58. Falcons 38–25. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 4:40. Fourth quarter ATL – Deion Jones 90-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), 13:37. Falcons 45–25. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:21. NO – Mark Ingram II 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 10:00. Falcons 45–32. Drive: 7 plays, 75, yards, 3:37. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 20/30, 240 yards, 2 TD NO – Drew Brees – 36/54, 376 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 14 rushes, 152 yards NO – Mark Ingram II – 15 rushes, 77 yards Top receivers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 5 receptions, 55 yards, TD NO – Coby Fleener – 7 receptions, 109 yards, TD With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–1. Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Four: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary October 2 1:00 pm. EDT Panthers 0 10 0 23 Falcons 14 3 14 17 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 70,508 Played indoors (dome stadium) John Hussey Fox Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman and Kristina Pink Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Jacob Tamme 4-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 7:14. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 4:19. ATL – Devonta Freeman 13-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 0:17. Falcons 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 98 yards, 3:33. Second quarter CAR – Kurt Coleman 8-yard interception return (Graham Gano kick), 11:31. Falcons 14–7. ATL – Matt Bryant 28-yard field goal, 5:56. Falcons 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:35. CAR – Graham Gano 54-yard field goal, 3:07. Falcons 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:49. Third quarter ATL – Austin Hooper 42-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 9:13. Falcons 24–10. Drive: 10 plays, 99 yards, 5:47. ATL – Aldrick Robinson 35-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 4:57. Falcons 31–10. Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 3:19. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 53-yard field goal, 13:19. Falcons 34–10. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 5:17. CAR – Kelvin Benjamin 6-yard pass from Cam Newton (Cam Newton run), 11:42. Falcons 34–18. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 1:37. CAR – Greg Olsen 14-yard pass from Derek Anderson (Derek Anderson–Greg Olsen pass), 3:58. Falcons 34–26. Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 5:23. ATL – Julio Jones 75-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 3:45. Falcons 41–26. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:13. CAR – Corey Brown 16-yard pass from Derek Anderson (Graham Gano kick), 1:53. Falcons 41–33. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 1:52. ATL – Robert Alford 30-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), 1:14. Falcons 48–33. Top passers CAR – Derek Anderson – 17/23, 172 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 28/37, 503 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers CAR – Cam Newton – 5 rushes, 30 yards ATL – Devonta Freeman – 13 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers CAR – Fozzy Whittaker – 9 receptions, 86 yards ATL – Julio Jones – 12 receptions, 300 yards, TD 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.Wesseling Chris Matt Ryan, Julio Jones set records in win over Panthers NFL.com 2016-10-02 https://www.nfl.com/news/matt-ryan-julio-jones-set-records-in-win-over-panthers-0ap3000000713849 2025-01-19 Cam Newton was knocked out of the game with a concussion incurred on a two-point conversion run.Inabinett Mark See the hit that knocked Cam Newton out of Sunday's game AL.com 2016-10-02 https://www.al.com/sports/2016/10/see_the_hit_that_knocked_cam_n.html#:~:text=Carolina%20Panthers%20quarterback%20Cam%20Newton,2%2C%202016%2C%20in%20Atlanta. 2025-01-19 With the win, the Falcons improved to 3–1. Week 5: at Denver Broncos Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – Game summary October 9 4:05 pm. EDT/2:05 p.m. MDT Falcons 10 3 7 3 Broncos 0 3 0 13 Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado 76,802 72 F C, mostly cloudy Terry McAulay Fox Chris Myers, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 11:18. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:42. ATL – Matt Bryant 46-yard field goal, 4:23. Falcons 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 4:23. Second quarter DEN – Brandon McManus 35-yard field goal, 11:39. Falcons 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 3:54. ATL – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 1:48. Falcons 13–3. Drive: 17 plays, 77 yards, 7:00. Third quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 31-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 7:53. Falcons 20–3. Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 2:01. Fourth quarter DEN – Brandon McManus 46-yard field goal, 11:01. Falcons 20–6. Drive: 8 plays, 22 yards, 3:59. ATL – Matt Bryant 25-yard field goal, 8:20. Falcons 23–6. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:41. DEN – Demaryius Thomas 3-yard pass from Paxton Lynch (Brandon McManus kick), 2:38. Falcons 23–13. Drive: 16 plays, 78 yards, 5:42. DEN – Brandon McManus 45-yard field goal, 0:14. Falcons 23–16. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 1:42. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 15/28, 267 yards, TD DEN – Paxton Lynch – 23/35, 223 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 23 rushes, 88 yards, TD DEN – C. J. Anderson – 11 rushes, 41 yards Top receivers ATL – Tevin Coleman – 4 receptions, 132 yards, TD DEN – Emmanuel Sanders – 7 receptions, 80 yards With the win, the Falcons improved to 4–1 for the first time since 2010. Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Six: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary October 16 4:25 pm. EDT/1:25 pm. PDT Falcons 0 3 21 0 Seahawks 7 10 0 9 CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington 69,071 54 F C, rain Tony Corrente Fox Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale Recap, Gamebook First quarter SEA – Christine Michael 9-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 2:02. Seahawks 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 9 yards, 0:05. Second quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 8:38. Seahawks 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 4:37. SEA – Alex Collins 2-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 4:32. Seahawks 14–3. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:06. SEA – Steven Hauschka 42-yard field goal, 0:42. Seahawks 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 1:16. Third quarter ATL – Julio Jones 36-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 11:01. Seahawks 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:59. ATL – Mohamed Sanu 10-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 6:11. Tied 17–17. Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 3:23. ATL – Levine Toilolo 46-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:17. Falcons 24–17. Drive: 6 plays, 97 yards, 3:27. Fourth quarter SEA – Christine Michael 1-yard run (kick blocked), 4:43. Falcons 24–23. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:51. SEA – Steven Hauschka 44-yard field goal, 1:57. Seahawks 26–24. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 1:51. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/42, 335 yards, 3 TD, INT SEA – Russell Wilson – 25/37, 270 yards Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 12 rushes, 40 yards SEA – Christine Michael – 18 rushes, 64 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 7 receptions, 139 yards, TD SEA – Jimmy Graham – 6 receptions, 89 yards With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 4–2. Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers Atlanta Falcons 90thru03 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary October 23 4:05 pm. EDT Chargers 7 10 3 10 3 Falcons 6 21 0 3 0 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 69,832 Played indoors (dome stadium) Bill Vinovich Fox Sam Rosen, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin Recap, Gamebook First quarter SD – Melvin Gordon 2-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:05. ATL – Matt Bryant 42-yard field goal, 6:26. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 4:29. ATL – Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal, 2:34. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:56. Second quarter SD – Josh Lambo 40-yard field goal, 13:29. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:05. ATL – Jacob Tamme 17-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 9:06. Falcons 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:23. ATL – Tevin Coleman 30-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 6:07. Falcons 20–10. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:49. ATL – Adrian Clayborn 5-yard fumble return (Matt Bryant kick), 4:31. Falcons 27–10. SD – Melvin Gordon 3-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 1:02. Falcons 27–17. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:29. Third quarter SD – Josh Lambo 37-yard field goal, 4:50. Falcons 27–20. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:15. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 31-yard field goal, 13:23. Falcons 30–20. Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 6:27. SD – Melvin Gordon 5-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 5:59. Falcons 30–27. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:24. SD – Josh Lambo 33-yard field goal, 0:18. Tied 30–30. Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 3:14. Overtime SD – Josh Lambo 42-yard field goal, 9:01. Chargers 33–30. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:11. Top passers SD – Philip Rivers – 27/44, 371 yards, TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/34, 273 yards, TD, INT Top rushers SD – Melvin Gordon – 22 rushes, 68 yards, 2 TD ATL – Tevin Coleman – 8 rushes, 64 yards, TD Top receivers SD – Tyrell Williams – 7 receptions, 140 yards ATL – Julio Jones – 9 receptions, 174 yards The Falcons blew a 17-point lead and lost to the Chargers, 33–30.Associated Press Chargers overcome 17-point deficit to beat Falcons in overtime Los Angeles Times 2016-10-24 https://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-chargers-falcons-20161023-snap-story.html 2025-01-19 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. It also foreshadowed a more calamitous loss in which the Falcons blew a larger lead. Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Eight: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary October 30 4:25 pm. EDT Packers 7 17 0 8 Falcons 10 9 7 7 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 70,165 Played indoors (dome stadium) Walt Anderson Fox Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 36-yard field goal, 9:46. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 5:19. GB – Jordy Nelson 5-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 6:14. Packers 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:33. ATL – Taylor Gabriel 47-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 5:19. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:40. Second quarter GB – Geronimo Allison 14-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 11:58. Packers 14–10. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:35. ATL – Matt Bryant 40-yard field goal, 8:55. Packers 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 3:01. GB – Trevor Davis 9-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 4:31. Packers 21–13. Drive: 4 plays, 15 yards, 1:24. ATL – Devonta Freeman 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan, 0:32. Packers 21–19. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:55. GB – Mason Crosby 29-yard field goal, 0:04. Packers 24–19. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 0:27. Third quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:35. Falcons 26–24. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:31. Fourth quarter GB – Jeff Janis 7-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Aaron Rodgers run), 4:04. Packers 32–26. Drive: 13 plays, 86 yards, 8:33. ATL – Mohamed Sanu 11-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:36. Falcons 33–32. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:27. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 28/38, 246 yards, 4 TD ATL – Matt Ryan – 28/35, 288 yards, 3 TD Top rushers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 6 rushes, 60 yards ATL – Terron Ward – 6 rushes, 46 yards Top receivers GB – Jordy Nelson – 4 receptions, 94 yards, TD ATL – Mohamed Sanu – 9 receptions, 84 yards, TD With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3. Week 9: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary November 3 Thursday 8:25 pm. EDT Falcons 10 10 13 10 Buccaneers 7 7 0 14 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida 57,797 76 F C, clear Ronald Torbert NFLN Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Heather Cox Recap, Gamebook First quarter TB – Mike Evans 3-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Roberto Aguayo kick), 9:37. Buccaneers 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:32. ATL – Levine Toilolo 32-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 7:47. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:49. ATL – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 6:12. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:56. Second quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 41-yard field goal, 13:42. Falcons 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 3:02. TB – Mike Evans 24-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Roberto Aguayo kick), 8:43. Buccaneers 14–13. Drive: 2 plays, 24 yards, 0:23. ATL – Taylor Gabriel 9-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 4:01. Falcons 20–14. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:39. Third quarter ATL – Patrick DiMarco 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (pass failed), 8:59. Falcons 26–14. Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 6:06. ATL – Julio Jones 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 3:07. Falcons 33–14. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 4:52. Fourth quarter ATL – Austin Hooper 2-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 10:00. Falcons 40–14. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 4:43. TB – Adam Humphries 7-yard pass from Jameis Winston (run failed), 6:53. Falcons 40–20. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:09. ATL – Matt Bryant 50-yard field goal, 3:47. Falcons 43–20. Drive: 6 plays, 12 yards, 3:05. TB – Cameron Brate 2-yard pass from Mike Glennon (Mike Glennon–Brandon Myers pass), 1:01. Falcons 43–28. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 2:43. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 25/34, 344 yards, 4 TD TB – Jameis Winston – 23/37, 261 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 17 rushes, 77 yards TB – Peyton Barber – 11 rushes, 31 yards Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 8 receptions, 111 yards, TD TB – Mike Evans – 11 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD 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 Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary November 13 1:00 pm. EST Falcons 0 6 3 6 Eagles 7 0 3 14 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 69,596 58 F C, sunny Craig Wrolstad Fox Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Gamebook First quarter PHI – Ryan Mathews 4-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 4:17. Eagles 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 81 yards, 7:14. Second quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 38-yard field goal, 9:36. Eagles 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 3:04. ATL – Matt Bryant 43-yard field goal, 2:59. Eagles 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:36. Third quarter PHI – Caleb Sturgis 29-yard field goal, 8:16. Eagles 10–6. Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:44. ATL – Matt Bryant 46-yard field goal, 4:46. Eagles 10–9. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:30. Fourth quarter PHI – Caleb Sturgis 25-yard field goal, 13:50. Eagles 13–9. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:56. ATL – Taylor Gabriel 76-yard pass from Matt Ryan (kick failed, hit left upright), 13:15. Falcons 15–13. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:35. PHI – Ryan Mathews 5-yard run (Ryan Mathews run), 6:49. Eagles 21–15. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 3:36. PHI – Caleb Sturgis 48-yard field goal, 1:57. Eagles 24–15. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 0:22. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 18/31, 267 yards, TD, INT PHI – Carson Wentz – 25/36, 231 yards Top rushers ATL – Devonta Freeman – 12 rushes, 49 yards PHI – Ryan Mathews: 18 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 10 receptions, 134 yards PHI – Jordan Matthews – 6 receptions, 73 yards With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 6–4. Week 12: vs. Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Twelve: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary November 27 1:00 pm. EST Cardinals 7 6 0 6 Falcons 7 10 7 14 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 69,233 Played indoors (dome stadium) John Parry Fox Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver Recap, Gamebook First quarter ARI – Jermaine Gresham 1-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 9:39. Cardinals 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:21. ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:38. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 6:01. Second quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 25-yard field goal, 12:52. Cardinals 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 5:46. ATL – Matt Bryant 45-yard field goal, 8:30. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:22. ATL – Taylor Gabriel 35-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 2:19. Falcons 17–10. Drive: 2 plays, 45 yards, 0:51. ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 54-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 17–13. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:25. Third quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 2-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 2:56. Falcons 24–13. Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 6:05. Fourth quarter ATL – Taylor Gabriel 25-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 8:48. Falcons 31–13. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:29. ARI – David Johnson 3-yard pass from Carson Palmer (pass failed), 4:44. Falcons 31–19. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:04. ATL – Devonta Freeman 5-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 2:07. Falcons 38–19. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:37. Top passers ARI – Carson Palmer – 25/45, 289 yards, 2 TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 26/34, 269 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ARI – David Johnson – 13 rushes, 58 yards ATL – Devonta Freeman – 16 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ARI – David Johnson – 8 receptions, 103 yards, TD ATL – Taylor Gabriel – 4 receptions, 75 yards, 2 TD With the impressive win, the Falcons improved to 7–4. Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary December 4 1:00 pm. EST Chiefs 6 14 7 2 Falcons 10 6 0 12 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 69,879 Played indoors (dome stadium) Walt Coleman CBS Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 10:02. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:58. KC – Spencer Ware 3-yard run (kick blocked), 8:00. Falcons 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 2:02. ATL – Matt Bryant 22-yard field goal, 5:11. Falcons 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:49. Second quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 22-yard field goal, 13:25. Falcons 13–6. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 4:26. KC – Spencer Ware 3-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 7:05. Tied 13–13. Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 6:20. KC – Eric Berry 37-yard interception return (Cairo Santos kick), 0:37. Chiefs 20–13. ATL – Matt Bryant 59-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 20–16. Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 0:37. Third quarter KC – Albert Wilson 55-yard run (Cairo Santos kick), 12:52. Chiefs 27–16. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 2:08. Fourth quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (pass failed), 11:57. Chiefs 27–22. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 6:12. ATL – Aldrick Robinson 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan, 4:32. Falcons 28–27. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:53. KC – Eric Berry defensive two-point conversion, 4:32. Chiefs 29–28. Top passers KC – Alex Smith – 21/25, 270 yards, TD ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/34, 297 yards, TD, INT Top rushers KC – Albert Wilson – 1 rush, 55 yards, TD ATL – Devonta Freeman – 15 rushes, 56 yards, 2 TD Top receivers KC – Travis Kelce – 8 receptions, 140 yards ATL – Julio Jones – 7 receptions, 113 yards 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.Teicher Adam Berry's 'pick 2' lifts Chiefs in homecoming win ESPN.com 2016-12-04 https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18204366/eric-berry-pick-2-lifts-kansas-city-chiefs-homecoming 2025-01-19 With the loss, the Falcons dropped to 7–5 for the first time since 2011. Week 14: at Los Angeles Rams Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary December 11 4:25 pm. EST/1:25 pm. PST Falcons 7 14 21 0 Rams 0 0 0 14 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 82,495 65 F C, cloudy Clete Blakeman Fox Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Justin Hardy 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 14:50. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:10. Second quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 6-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 14:53. Falcons 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 3:05. ATL – Deion Jones 33-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), 8:54. Falcons 21–0. Third quarter ATL – Taylor Gabriel 64-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 13:18. Falcons 28–0. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:42. ATL – Tevin Coleman 6-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:56. Falcons 35–0. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 4:29. ATL – Vic Beasley 21-yard fumble return (Matt Bryant kick), 2:50. Falcons 42–0. Fourth quarter LA – Todd Gurley 3-yard run (Greg Zuerlein kick), 14:57. Falcons 42–7. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:53. LA – Jared Goff 2-yard run (Greg Zuerlein kick), 2:44. Falcons 42–14. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 4:59. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 18/28, 237 yards, 3 TD LA – Jared Goff – 24/41, 235 yards, 2 INT Top rushers ATL – Tevin Coleman – 8 rushes, 36 yards, TD LA – Todd Gurley – 16 rushes, 61 yards, TD Top receivers ATL – Taylor Gabriel – 3 receptions, 82 yards, TD LA – Kenny Britt – 7 receptions, 82 yards With the win, the Falcons improved to 8–5. Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers Atlanta Falcons 90thru03 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary December 18 4:05 pm. EST 49ers 0 13 0 0 Falcons 21 7 10 3 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 70,164 Played indoors (dome stadium) Gene Steratore Fox Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 5-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 10:31. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:57. ATL – Taylor Gabriel 9-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 7:40. Falcons 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:58. ATL – Austin Hooper 9-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:40. Falcons 21–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 5:51. Second quarter SF – Garrett Celek 16-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Phil Dawson kick), 12:45. Falcons 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:55. ATL – Devonta Freeman 9-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 4:28. Falcons 28–7. Drive: 6 plays, 94 yards, 3:32. SF – Rod Streater 5-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (kick failed, wide left), 0:13. Falcons 28–13. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:15. Third quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 50-yard field goal, 6:29. Falcons 31–13. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:50. ATL – Devonta Freeman 34-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 1:42. Falcons 38–13. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 2:16. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 41-yard field goal, 1:09. Falcons 41–13. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 5:06. Top passers SF – Colin Kaepernick – 20/33, 183 yards, 2 TD ATL – Matt Ryan – 17/23, 286 yards, 2 TD Top rushers SF – Carlos Hyde – 13 rushes, 71 yards ATL – Devonta Freeman – 20 rushes, 139 yards, 3 TD Top receivers SF – Blake Bell – 1 reception, 45 yards ATL – Aldrick Robinson – 4 receptions, 111 yards With the win, the Falcons improved to 9–5. Week 16: at Carolina Panthers Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary December 24 Saturday 1:00 pm. EST Falcons 13 7 3 10 Panthers 0 3 10 3 Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 73,549 56 F C, cloudy Bill Vinovich Fox Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Joshua Perkins 26-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 10:57. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:03. ATL – Matt Bryant 51-yard field goal, 6:09. Falcons 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 12 yards, 2:18. ATL – Matt Bryant 48-yard field goal, 0:35. Falcons 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:03. Second quarter CAR – Graham Gano 31-yard field goal, 10:17. Falcons 13–3. Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 1:32. ATL – D. J. Tialavea 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 5:34. Falcons 20–3. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:43. Third quarter CAR – Graham Gano 40-yard field goal, 9:23. Falcons 20–6. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 5:37. ATL – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 3:34. Falcons 23–6. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 5:49. CAR – Kelvin Benjamin 26-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 0:00. Falcons 23–13. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:34. Fourth quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 55-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 13:19. Falcons 30–13. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:41. CAR – Graham Gano 31-yard field goal, 9:43. Falcons 30–16. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 3:36. ATL – Matt Bryant 50-yard field goal, 1:55. Falcons 33–16. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:45. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/33, 277 yards, 2 TD CAR – Cam Newton – 18/43, 198 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers ATL – Tevin Coleman – 9 rushes, 90 yards, TD CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 11 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 4 receptions, 60 yards CAR – Kelvin Benjamin – 4 receptions, 63 yards With the win, alongside the Saints win over the Buccaneers, the Falcons improved to 10–5 (4-1 against the NFC South) and clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2012 and finished 6-2 on the road. As of 2025, this marks the last time Atlanta clinched the NFC South. Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Seventeen: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary January 1, 2017 4:25 pm. EST Saints 10 3 0 19 Falcons 14 21 3 0 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 70,835 Played indoors (dome stadium) Ronald Torbert Fox Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 7-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 11:55. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 2:11. NO – Wil Lutz 19-yard field goal, 3:53. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 74 yards, 8:02. ATL – Devonta Freeman 75-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 3:42. Falcons 14–3. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11. NO – Tim Hightower 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:52. Falcons 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:50. Second quarter ATL – Julio Jones 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 14:17. Falcons 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:35. ATL – Mohamed Sanu 10-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 6:51. Falcons 28–10. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:41. NO – Wil Lutz 40-yard field goal, 3:40. Falcons 28–13. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:11. ATL – Justin Hardy 7-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:32. Falcons 35–13. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:08. Third quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 22-yard field goal, 5:17. Falcons 38–13. Drive: 14 plays, 95 yards, 5:06. Fourth quarter NO – Michael Thomas 14-yard pass from Drew Brees (run failed), 12:41. Falcons 38–19. Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 2:11. NO – Mark Ingram II 1-yard run (pass failed), 2:47. Falcons 38–25. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:18. NO – Travaris Cadet 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:39. Falcons 38–32. Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 2:08. Top passers NO – Drew Brees – 29/50, 350 yards, 2 TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/36, 331 yards, 4 TD Top rushers NO – Mark Ingram II – 20 rushes, 103 yards, TD ATL – Devonta Freeman – 12 rushes, 96 yards, TD Top receivers NO – Michael Thomas – 10 receptions, 156 yards, TD ATL – Julio Jones – 7 receptions, 96 yards, TD This was the Falcons' final regular season game at the Georgia Dome. With the win, the Falcons finished their season at 11–5 (5–1 against the NFC South) and clinched the #2 in the NFC. Atlanta finished 5–3 at home. Postseason 2016–17 NFL playoffs Schedule Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap Wild CardFirst-round bye Divisional January 14, 2017 F j, Y 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 Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Seattle Seahawks at (2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary January 14, 2017 Saturday 4:35 p.m. EST Seahawks 7 3 3 7 Falcons 0 19 7 10 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 71,155 Played indoors (dome stadium) Gene Steratore Fox Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver and Peter Schrager Recap, Gamebook First quarter SEA – Jimmy Graham 7-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 6:26. Seahawks 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 8:34. Second quarter ATL – Julio Jones 7-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 14:14. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:12. SEA – Steven Hauschka 33-yard field goal, 11:20. Seahawks 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:54. ATL – Russell Wilson sacked in endzone by Ben Garland for a safety, 9:22. Seahawks 10–9. ATL – Matt Bryant 35-yard field goal, 6:06. Falcons 12–10. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 3:16. ATL – Tevin Coleman 14-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:53. Falcons 19–10. Drive: 9 plays, 99 yards, 2:55. Third quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 9:12. Falcons 26–10. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:48. SEA – Steven Hauschka 26-yard field goal, 3:03. Falcons 26–13. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:09. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 31-yard field goal, 14:57. Falcons 29–13. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:06. ATL – Mohamed Sanu 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 3:40. Falcons 36–13. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 4:36. SEA – Doug Baldwin 31-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 3:21. Falcons 36–20. Drive: 1 plays, 31 yards, 0:19. Top passers SEA – Russell Wilson – 17/30, 225 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 26/37, 338 yards, 3 TD Top rushers SEA – Russell Wilson – 6 rushes, 49 yards ATL – Tevin Coleman – 11 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers SEA – Doug Baldwin – 5 receptions, 80 yards, TD ATL – Julio Jones – 6 receptions, 67 yards, TD 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.Seahawks vs. Falcons play-by-play. January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.January 15, 2017 Ryan leads Falcons to NFC title game, beating Seattle 36-20 https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/400927747 2025-01-19 ESPN.com Associated Press en 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. 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. 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: vs. (4) Green Bay Packers Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Championship Game: (4) Green Bay Packers at (2) Atlanta Falcons – Game summary January 22, 2017 3:05 pm. EST Packers 0 0 15 6 Falcons 10 14 13 7 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 71,127 Played indoors (dome stadium) Bill Vinovich Fox Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers Recap, Gamebook First quarter ATL – Mohamed Sanu 2-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 8:24. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:36. ATL – Matt Bryant 28-yard field goal, 0:14. Falcons 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 5:21. Second quarter ATL – Matt Ryan 14-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 7:24. Falcons 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:35. ATL – Julio Jones 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 0:03. Falcons 24–0. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 1:47. Third quarter ATL – Julio Jones 73-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 13:51. Falcons 31–0. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:51. GB – Davante Adams 2-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 9:19. Falcons 31–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:32. ATL – Devonta Freeman 4-yard pass from Matt Ryan (kick failed, wide right), 4:11. Falcons 37–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 5:08. GB – Jordy Nelson 3-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Aaron Ripkowski run), 0:38. Falcons 37–15. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:33. Fourth quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 3-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 12:07. Falcons 44–15. Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 3:31. GB – Jared Cook 1-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (run failed), 6:43. Falcons 44–21. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:24. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 27/45, 287 yards, 3 TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/38, 392 yards, 4 TD Top rushers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 4 rushes, 46 yards ATL – Devonta Freeman – 14 rushes, 42 yards Top receivers GB – Jared Cook – 7 receptions, 78 yards, TD ATL – Julio Jones – 9 receptions, 180 yards, 2 TD 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.Martin Jill Georgia Dome farewell for Atlanta Falcons CNN 2017-01-20 https://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/20/sport/georgia-dome-final-game/index.html 2025-01-19 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 Super Bowl LI Atlanta Falcons 2016 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons – Game summary February 5, 2017 6:30 pm. EST/5:30 p.m. CST Patriots 0 3 6 19 6 Falcons 0 21 7 0 0 NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas 70,807 Played indoors (retractable roof closed) Carl Cheffers Fox Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers Recap, Gamebook First quarter None. Second quarter ATL – Devonta Freeman 5-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 12:15. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:53. ATL – Austin Hooper 19-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 8:48. Falcons 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 1:49. ATL – Robert Alford 82-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), 2:21. Falcons 21–0. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 41-yard field goal, 0:02. Falcons 21–3. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 2:19. Third quarter ATL – Tevin Coleman 6-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 8:31. Falcons 28–3. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 4:14. NE – James White 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (kick failed, wide right), 2:06. Falcons 28–9. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:25. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 33-yard field goal, 9:44. Falcons 28–12. Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 5:07. NE – Danny Amendola 6-yard pass from Tom Brady (James White run), 5:56. Falcons 28–20. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 2:28. NE – James White 1-yard run (Tom Brady-Danny Amendola pass), 0:57. Tied 28–28. Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 2:33. Overtime NE – James White 2-yard run, 11:02. Patriots 34–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:58. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 43/62, 466 yards, 2 TD, INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 17/23, 284 yards, 2 TD Top rushers NE – LeGarrette Blount – 11 rushes, 31 yards ATL – Devonta Freeman – 11 rushes, 75 yards, TD Top receivers NE – James White – 14 receptions, 110 yards, TD ATL – Julio Jones – 4 receptions, 87 yards 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.Brady leads biggest comeback, Patriots win 34-28 in OT AP News 2017-02-06 https://apnews.com/article/e315cf97f48f42e0bb0f695fe94a17f1 2025-01-19 This loss was their 6th to New England since 2001, and it ended the Falcons' season record at 13–6.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/atl/2016.htm 2016 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players Pro-Football-Reference.com 6 August 2017 Standings Division ATL Conference ATL References External links http://www.atlantafalcons.com Season summary at Pro Football Reference Atlanta Category:Atlanta Falcons seasons Atlanta Falcons Category:NFC South championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons