Atlanta Falcons Archives

A Look Back at the Legendary Franchise

### The Early Years The Atlanta Falcons were founded in 1965 as an expansion team in the National Football League (NFL). The team's first home was Atlanta Stadium, now known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons struggled in their early years, posting a losing record in each of their first five seasons. In 1971, the team made its first playoff appearance, but lost in the Divisional Round to the Dallas Cowboys. ### The Rise to Prominence In the 1980s, the Falcons began to improve. The team made the playoffs four times between 1980 and 1982, but lost in the Divisional Round each time. In 1985, the Falcons won their first playoff game, defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round. The team lost in the Divisional Round to the Chicago Bears the following week. ### The Super Bowl Era The Falcons reached their first Super Bowl in the 1998 season. The team lost to the Denver Broncos 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. The Falcons returned to the Super Bowl in the 2016 season, but lost to the New England Patriots 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI. ### Recent Years In recent years, the Falcons have struggled to maintain their success. The team has not made the playoffs since 2017. In 2021, the Falcons finished with a 7-10 record. ### Notable Players Some of the most notable players in Falcons history include: - Michael Vick - Matt Ryan - Julio Jones - Deion Sanders - Roddy White - Tony Gonzalez ### The Future The Falcons are looking to return to the playoffs in the 2022 season. The team has a number of young players who could help lead them to success. The Falcons are also hoping to get a new stadium built in the near future.