The 2022 season is the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their sixth playing their home games at

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it serves as the home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) ...

and their second under head coach Arthur Smith. For the first time since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, long-time quarterback Matt Ryan is not on the roster as the Falcons shipped him off to play for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

on March 21, 2022. The team signed former Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota as their new quarterback on the same day. Mariota was reunited with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who served as the tight ends coach and offensive coordinator during Mariota's tenure with the Titans (2015–2019). After a Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, along with wins by the Saints and Panthers, the Falcons failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Draft

Draft trades

Staff

Current roster

Preseason

The Falcons' preseason opponents and schedule were announced in the spring.

Regular season

Schedule

Notes * Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints

Despite holding a 16-point lead with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons were unable to hold on, as the Saints scored 17 points in a row to go ahead 27–26. The Falcons attempted a 63-yard game-winning field goal on the final play, but it was blocked by Saints' defensive tackle Payton Turner. With the loss, Atlanta started the season 0–1.

Week 2: at Los Angeles Rams

Hoping to avoid a 0–2 start, the Falcons traveled to Inglewood to play against the Los Angeles Rams. For the first three quarters, it was all Rams as Matthew Stafford clocked in three touchdowns passes on the day to put the Rams up 28–3. Atlanta would then attempt a rally, and cut the deficit to just 31–25 with only minutes remaining in the game. The Falcons forced a Rams punt and had a chance to go ahead, but Jalen Ramsey picked off Marcus Mariota close to the end zone to end the threat. An intentional safety with seconds left in the game cut the score to 31–27, and the score held for the last six seconds of the game. The Falcons lost their second straight game to the defending Super Bowl champions, falling to 0–2 on the year.

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

Just as the Falcons appeared likely to start the season 0–3, they beat the Seahawks on a 14-yard touchdown pass by Marcus Mariota to Drake London with 35 seconds left, by a 27–23 tally. With their first win on the season, the Falcons improved to 1–2.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

The Falcons opened a 10–0 lead in the first quarter, only to let the Browns score 13 unanswered points afterwards. The two teams traded touchdowns, giving the Browns a 20–17 lead after three quarters, albeit that was the last time the Browns would lead the game. Younghoe Koo booted a pair of field goals in the 4th quarter to give the Falcons a 23–20 win. With their second win in a row, the Falcons improved to 2–2, and were at the .500 mark for the first time on the season.

Week 5: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers opened a 21–0 lead after three quarters and the Falcons could not recover. With the failed comeback of a loss, the Falcons fell to 2–3.

Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Falcons opened a 14–0 lead in the first quarter, albeit they did let the 49ers score 14 unanswered points to tie the game afterwards. That was all the 49ers could do, as the Falcons ripped off two more touchdowns to win it, 28–14. With the win, the Falcons improved to 3–3, and were back at .500.

Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals opened a 21–0 lead not even 10 seconds into the 2nd quarter and the Falcons could not recover. With the loss, the Falcons fell to 3–4.

Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 9: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Falcons blew a 10–0 lead and lost to Justin Herbert and the Chargers, 20–17, on a 37-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker. With the loss, the Falcons fell to 4–5.

Week 10: at Carolina Panthers

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 12: at Washington Commanders

Week 13: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15: at New Orleans Saints

Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 5–10 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention after the Panthers win against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...