2021 Atlanta Falcons season
The 2021 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 56th season in the National Football League, their fifth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their first under general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.
2021 Atlanta Falcons season | |
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Owner | Arthur Blank |
General manager | Terry Fontenot |
Head coach | Arthur Smith |
Home field | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–10 |
Division place | 3rd NFC South |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | TE Kyle Pitts LS Josh Harris |
AP All-Pros | CB A. J. Terrell (2nd team) LS Josh Harris (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
For the first time since 2010, wide receiver Julio Jones was not on the roster as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans on June 6, 2021.[1] Jones departed Atlanta holding the most career receiving yards and receptions in Falcons franchise history.
Following their Week 12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Falcons improved their 4–12 season from the previous year. However, the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was also their final season with quarterback Matt Ryan, as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for the following season.[2]
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Kyle Pitts | TE | Florida | Highest selected tight end in NFL history |
2 | 40 | Richie Grant | S | UCF | from Denver Broncos |
3 | 68 | Jalen Mayfield | OG | Michigan | |
4 | 108 | Darren Hall | CB | San Diego State | |
114 | Drew Dalman | C | Stanford | from Denver Broncos | |
5 | 148 | Ta'Quon Graham | DE | Texas | |
182 | Adetokunbo Ogundeji | DE | Notre Dame | ||
183 | Avery Williams | CB | Boise State | ||
6 | 187 | Frank Darby | WR | Arizona State |
Notes
- The Falcons were awarded 3 compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.[3]
- The Falcons traded their second-round (35th overall) and sixth-round (219th overall) picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for their second-round (40th overall) and fourth-round (114th overall) selections.[4]
- All of the Falcons selections in this draft made the 53-man roster at the start of the regular season.
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 13 | Tennessee Titans | L 3–23 | 0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 21 | at Miami Dolphins | L 17–37 | 0–2 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 29 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–19 | 0–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
The Falcons 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. They opened the season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–32 | 0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 19 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 25–48 | 0–2 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 26 | at New York Giants | W 17–14 | 1–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 3 | Washington Football Team | L 30–34 | 1–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 10 | New York Jets | W 27–20 | 2–3 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London) | Recap |
6 | Bye | |||||
7 | October 24 | at Miami Dolphins | W 30–28 | 3–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 31 | Carolina Panthers | L 13–19 | 3–4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 7 | at New Orleans Saints | W 27–25 | 4–4 | Caesars Superdome | Recap |
10 | November 14 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 3–43 | 4–5 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 18 | New England Patriots | L 0–25 | 4–6 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 28 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–14 | 5–6 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap |
13 | December 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–30 | 5–7 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 12 | at Carolina Panthers | W 29–21 | 6–7 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13–31 | 6–8 | Levi's Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 26 | Detroit Lions | W 20–16 | 7–8 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
17 | January 2 | at Buffalo Bills | L 15–29 | 7–9 | Highmark Stadium | Recap |
18 | January 9 | New Orleans Saints | L 20–30 | 7–10 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 32 |
Falcons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Fair, 81 °F (27 °C) — retractable roof open
- Game attendance: 68,633
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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The Falcons start their season off with a 26-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 25 |
Buccaneers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 48 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: September 19
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 83 °F (28 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,694
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 3: at New York Giants
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
Giants | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: September 26
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 75,307
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 4: vs. Washington Football Team
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington | 0 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 34 |
Falcons | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 3
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 68,333
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 5: vs. New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
Falcons | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
- Date: October 10
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. BST/9:30 a.m. EDT
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,589
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (NFLN): Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta, AJ Ross, and Melissa Stark
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: October 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 86 °F (30 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,739
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Jen Hale
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
Falcons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 31
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 68,583
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 9: at New Orleans Saints
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
Saints | 0 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 25 |
Game information | ||
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Younghoe Koo kicked a game-winning field goal as time ran out, improving Atlanta to 4–4.
Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Cowboys | 7 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 43 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: November 14
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 93,436
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 11: vs. New England Patriots
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 3 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 25 |
Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 18
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 68,286
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Prime Video): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 12: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 14 |
Game information | ||
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Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: December 5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,366
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Sara Walsh
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 14: at Carolina Panthers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 29 |
Panthers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: December 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 51 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 72,243
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Lindsay Czarniak
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
49ers | 3 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
- Date: December 19
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Clear, 52 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,650
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Falcons | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: December 26
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 68,638
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Robert Smith and Jen Hale
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 17: at Buffalo Bills
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Bills | 14 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 29 |
Game information | ||
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Week 18: vs. New Orleans Saints
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
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Coming off with a 2-point win in Week 9, they host the Saints. They were defeated by 10 points and finish their season with a 7-10 record.
Division
NFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 511 | 353 | W3 |
New Orleans Saints | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 364 | 335 | W2 |
Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 313 | 459 | L2 |
Carolina Panthers | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 304 | 404 | L7 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division winners | |||||||||||
1[lower-alpha 1] | Green Bay Packers | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .479 | .480 | L1 |
2[lower-alpha 1] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .467 | .443 | W3 |
3[lower-alpha 2] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .488 | .431 | W1 |
4[lower-alpha 2] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .483 | .409 | L1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .490 | .492 | L1 |
6 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .500 | .438 | W2 |
7[lower-alpha 3] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .469 | .350 | L1 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8[lower-alpha 3] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .512 | .516 | W2 |
9 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .507 | .434 | W1 |
10[lower-alpha 4] | Washington Football Team | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .529 | .420 | W1 |
11[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .519 | .424 | W2 |
12[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .472 | .315 | L2 |
13 | Chicago Bears | North | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .524 | .373 | L1 |
14 | Carolina Panthers | South | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .509 | .412 | L7 |
15 | New York Giants | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .536 | .485 | L6 |
16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .528 | .627 | W1 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 6] | |||||||||||
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References
- Maya, Adam. "Falcons trade WR Julio Jones, future sixth-rounder to Titans for second- and fourth-round picks". NFL.com. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- "Falcons trade Matt Ryan to Indianapolis Colts". www.atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- "Falcons awarded three compensatory picks ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft".
- "Falcons trade back in second round of 2021 NFL Draft".