3 days Ago By Tim Crean
Since joining the NFL in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons have made the playoffs just 14 times. Atlanta's longest postseason drought was 12 seasons, starting with the team's inception and finally ending in 1978. The last time the Falcons made the NFL Playoffs was in 2017, the season after their infamous loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
Since joining the NFL in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons have only made the playoffs 14 times, which naturally means there have been plenty of lengthy postseason droughts in the franchise’s history. The one they're currently in now is by no means the longest, but it’s moved into the top three. The longest stretch the Falcons have gone without making the playoffs was between the club’s inception and its first-ever postseason appearance in 1978.
During that stretch, Atlanta played 12 seasons without giving their fans postseason football. After that, the next-longest drought was an eight-year gap from 1983 to 1990. Since then, the gaps have been smaller, but still omnipresent.
There has only been one time in team history that the Falcons made back-to-back playoff appearances (2016-2017) and one time they made three consecutive appearances (2010-2012). When the Falcons do make the playoffs, they are typically fairly successful. The team has 10 playoff wins in 14 appearances and, although they’ve lost both times, Atlanta has made the Super Bowl twice.
The Falcons are just two years away from tying their second-worst playoff-free mark ever, as they haven't played extra football in the last six seasons, which puts their last playoff appearance in 2017. Many won't remember Brett Favre throwing four passes as a rookie with the Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons Haven't Made the NFL Playoffs Since 2017 In 2017, the Falcons accomplished a pleasant feat aside from just making the playoffs, as they did so a season after losing in the Super Bowl, which many teams have actually failed to do.
What’s more impressive is that the Falcons rallied in 2017 after not just losing the Super Bowl, but losing it in brutal and infamous fashion. Up 28-3 in the third quarter of Super Bowl 51 against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots , Atlanta was either the victim of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history or the perpetrator of the worst choke, depending on your perspective. Still, Matt Ryan , Dan Quinn, and the rest of the Falcons impressively dusted themselves off the next season to make the playoffs for the last time in a while.
The 2017 Falcons’ Playoff Season Quarterback Matt Ryan, head coach Dan Quinn, star wideout Julio Jones, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and the entire 2016 Falcons team had the Lombardi Trophy in their hands before Brady and Bill Belichick ripped it away from them. That brutal Super Bowl defeat was enough to crush nearly any NFL team, but the Falcons set out in 2017 to get back to the promised land, and they almost accomplished their goal. One thing that may have helped the Falcons avoid the dreaded Super Bowl hangover is that 2017 was the year the team left the breaking-down Georgia Dome to move into Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Upgrading facilities like this could have been one of the things that allowed Atlanta to approach this season with new energy, despite how the precious season ended. Other than the new digs, the core of the Falcons remained largely intact from the previous campaign. However, there was a major exodus from the star-studded coaching staff.
In addition to Shanahan, the 2016 Falcons coaching staff included past and future NFL head coaches like Raheem Morris, Mike McDaniel, and Matt LaFleur. After the Super Bowl loss, Shanahan took the San Francisco 49ers job, and McDaniel followed him, while LaFleur left to be OC for the Los Angeles Rams . Only Morris remained in Atlanta.
Despite the changes on the sideline and in the booth, the Falcons started 2017 nicely with three straight wins. However, the adversity quickly ratcheted up as three straight losses ensued. Ups and downs followed, but while the team ultimately couldn’t match their 11-5 record from the year before, they finished a respectable 10-6, finishing third in the NFC South behind the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints , both of whom finished 11-5.
The Saints took the tiebreaker to win the division. After the regular season, wide receiver Julio Jones, center Alex Mack, linebacker Deion Jones, and safety Keanu Neal all made the Pro Bowl. Ryan had a good year as well, throwing for 4,095 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
As the No. 6 seed in the NFC, the Falcons opened the playoffs by visiting an old friend in LaFleur, who'd helped the Rams to an 11-5 mark and the NFC West title. In that game, the Falcons showed their skill and experience, beating the Rams on their home carpet by a score of 26-13.
A week later, the dreams of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances died when Atlanta hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles . It was a hard-fought, low-scoring game, but the home team eventually prevailed 15-10. If the Falcons took any solace in the loss, it would be because the Eagles would go on to win the Super Bowl, beating the Patriots team that tormented them the season before.
It's now been six seasons since this last playoff triumph, and the Falcons seem stuck between two places. They have some young veteran weapons in Drake London , Bijan Robinson , and Kyle Pitts — who are ready to win, which is why they brought in veteran QB Kirk Cousins . However, they also don’t seem to have all the pieces of a playoff team just yet, which is why they fired Arthur Smith, replaced him with the assistant head coach from this last playoff appearance in Raheem Morris, and drafted QB Michael Penix Jr.
in the first round. Will either of these strategies help break this playoff dry spell? We’ll find out soon at the end of the 2024 campaign. All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.
The Atlanta Falcons may not have many Hall of Famers, but the ones they do have were great, and there may be two more soon..
