The
2020 season was 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) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...
' 55th season in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
, their fourth 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 ( ...
, and their sixth and final season under
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...
Dan Quinn.
For the first time since the
2003 season, the Falcons wore new uniforms, which were unveiled on April 8, 2020.
The Falcons failed to improve on their
7–9 season from the previous year following a Week 14 loss to the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
and failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season the same week. They suffered their worst record since
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, and finished last place in the NFC South for the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
. This was in part of the Falcons beginning the season 0–5, their first 0–5 start since
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, which included two squandered fourth-quarter leads by more than 15 points in back-to-back weeks. Throughout the season, the Falcons squandered six total leads which led to losses and lost eight games with a deficit of 7 or less points. On October 11, following a Week 5 loss to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, the Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager
Thomas Dimitroff. The following day, the Falcons named defensive coordinator
Raheem Morris
Raheem Morris (born September 3, 1976) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to ...
interim head coach.
The next day their special teams coordinator
Ben Kotwicka was fired.
Draft
Trades
* The Falcons traded wide receiver
Mohamed Sanu to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in exchange for a second-round selection.
* The Falcons traded the second-round selection from New England and a fifth-round selection to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in exchange for tight end
Hayden Hurst
Hayden Randle Hurst (born August 24, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round ...
and a fourth-round selection.
* The Falcons traded a sixth-round selection and linebacker
Duke Riley to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
in exchange for safety
Johnathan Cyprien
Johnathan Ken Cyprien (born July 29, 1990) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at FIU and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Cyprien has also played for the Te ...
and a seventh-round selection.
Undrafted free agents
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The Falcons' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Regular season
Schedule
The Falcons'
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
schedule was announced on May 7.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With the loss, the Falcons failed to win their opening game for the third straight season and lost their first home opener since
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
.
Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
The Falcons got off to a 29–10 lead in the first half, but the Cowboys outscored them 30–10 in the second half, including three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter to win 40–39. In the waning moments of the game, with the Falcons clinging to a 39–37 lead, the Cowboys managed to recover an onside kick despite three Falcons being there to recover it; the Falcons then allowed a game-winning field goal. With this loss, the Atlanta Falcons dropped to 0–2 on the season, their first such start to a season since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
. The team also dropped to 11–18 all-time against the Cowboys. The Falcons' 39 points scored were the second-most by a losing team all season (only the Browns scored more in a loss, with 42 points against the Ravens in Week 15).
The Falcons recorded three
takeaways (all in the first half), but also gave up 572 yards to the Cowboys offense. Atlanta's loss marked the first time a team that scored 39+ points with no
giveaways lost a game; teams were previously 440–0 in said situation.
Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears
For the second consecutive week, the Falcons blew a 15+ point lead entering the fourth quarter. With yet another defeat, the Atlanta Falcons lost their first three games of the season for the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
. The Falcons became the first team in NFL history to lose at least two games in the same season after leading by at least 15 points entering the fourth quarter.
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions
In the final seconds of the game, Lions quarterback
Matthew Stafford
John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...
would throw a walk-off touchdown pass to tight end
T. J. Hockenson
Thomas James Hockenson (born July 3, 1997) is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round (eighth selection overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lion ...
to tie the game. The extra point was successfully converted, giving the Lions a 23–22 victory. Previously during the game, Falcons running back
Todd Gurley
Todd Jerome Gurley II (born August 3, 1994) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Georgia, where he rece ...
had accidentally scored a touchdown on a play where the Falcons intended to down the ball at the Lions' 1, run out the clock and kick a field goal.
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1–6. The Falcons wore their red to black gradient uniforms for the first time ever in this game.
Week 8: at Carolina Panthers
With the win, the Atlanta Falcons got their only win in their division.
Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos
The Falcons wore white at home for the first time since
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
against the Broncos. The Falcons would jump out to a 20–3 at halftime, but the Broncos would attempt a comeback, and outscored Falcons 24–14 in the second half, but the Falcons held on to get the win. With the win, the Falcons advanced to 3–6.
Week 11: at New Orleans Saints
Week 12: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 13: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 14: at Los Angeles Chargers
With the loss to a game-winning field goal, the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight season and failed to achieve a winning season.
Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Falcons jumped out to a 17–0 lead by halftime, but, in a turn of events similar to
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New ...
, Atlanta allowed
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
and the Buccaneers to outscore the Falcons 31–10 in the second half en route to a Tampa Bay victory.
Week 16: at Kansas City Chiefs
Late in the game, the Falcons were in position to tie the game against the defending Super Bowl champions, but
Younghoe Koo
Younghoe Koo (; pronounced ; born August 3, 1994) is a South Korean player of American football who is a placekicker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020.
Koo played college fo ...
missed a 39-yard field goal which was partially deflected. With this loss, the Falcons fell to 4-11.
Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the loss, the Falcons finished last place in the
NFC South
The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when ...
for the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
.
Standings
Division
Conference
References
External links
*
{{2020 NFL season by team
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
Atlanta Falcons seasons
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) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...