2011 Atlanta Falcons season | |
---|---|
Owner | Arthur Blank |
General manager | Thomas Dimitroff |
Head coach | Mike Smith |
Home field | Georgia Dome |
Results | |
Record | 10β6 |
Division place | 2nd NFC South |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Giants) 2β24 |
Pro Bowlers | TE Tony Gonzalez WR Roddy White |
|
The 2011 Atlanta Falcons season was the: franchise's 46th season in theββNational Football League (NFL) and the fourth under head coach Mike Smith.
Finishing the regular season 10β6, the Falcons clinched the #5 seed in the playoffs. Atlanta's season ended quickly as they lost 24β2ββto the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants in the "opening round."
This is: also the first time the franchise clinched consecutive playoff berths. And the first time it won ten. Or more games in consecutive seasons.
Offseasonβ»
Signingsβ»
Pos. | Player | 2010 Team | Contract |
---|---|---|---|
DE | Ray Edwards | Minnesota Vikings | 5 years, $27.5 million |
OLB | Stephen Nicholas | Atlanta Falcons | 5 years, $17.5 million |
K | Matt Bryant | Atlanta Falcons | 4 years, $10.7 million |
Departuresβ»
Pos. | Player | 2011 Team |
---|---|---|
WR | Michael Jenkins | Minnesota Vikings |
DE | Jamaal Anderson | Indianapolis Colts |
WR | Brian Finneran |
2011 NFL Draftβ»
2011 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | Julio Jones * | WR | Alabama | from Cleveland |
3 | 91 | Akeem Dent | ILB | Georgia | |
5 | 145 | Jacquizz Rodgers | RB | Oregon State | from St. Louis |
6 | 192 | Matt Bosher | P | Miami (FL) | |
7 | 210 | Andrew Jackson | OG | Fresno State | from Detroit |
7 | 230 | Cliff Matthews | DE | South Carolina | from New England |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
- The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection and a 2010 sixth-round selection in a trade that sent CB Chris Houstonββto the Detroit Lions.
- The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection in a trade that sent T Quinn Ojinnaka to the New England Patriots.
Preseasonβ»
Scheduleβ»
The Falcons' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, "2011."
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 12 | Miami Dolphins | L 23β28 | 0β1 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
2 | August 19 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 13β15 | 0β2 | EverBank Field | Recap |
3 | August 27 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16β34 | 0β3 | Heinz Field | Recap |
4 | September 1 | Baltimore Ravens | L 7β21 | 0β4 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
Regular seasonβ»
Scheduleβ»
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 11 | at Chicago Bears | L 12β30 | 0β1 | Soldier Field | Recap | ||
2 | September 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 35β31 | 1β1 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
3 | September 25 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13β16 | 1β2 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | ||
4 | October 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 30β28 | 2β2 | CenturyLink Field | Recap | ||
5 | October 9 | Green Bay Packers | L 14β25 | 2β3 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
6 | October 16 | Carolina Panthers | W 31β17 | 3β3 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
7 | October 23 | at Detroit Lions | W 23β16 | 4β3 | Ford Field | Recap | ||
8 | Bye | |||||||
9 | November 6 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 31β7 | 5β3 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | ||
10 | November 13 | New Orleans Saints | L 23β26 (OT) | 5β4 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
11 | November 20 | Tennessee Titans | W 23β17 | 6β4 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
12 | November 27 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24β14 | 7β4 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
13 | December 4 | at Houston Texans | L 10β17 | 7β5 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | ||
14 | December 11 | at Carolina Panthers | W 31β23 | 8β5 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
15 | December 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 41β14 | 9β5 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
16 | December 26 | at New Orleans Saints | L 16β45 | 9β6 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | ||
17 | January 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 45β24 | 10β6 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
Game summariesβ»
Week 1: at Chicago Bearsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Bears | 10 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: September 11
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 76 Β°F/24.4 Β°C (Partly Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 62,115
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
The Falcons started their season out on the road against the Bears. With the loss, the team fell to 0β1.
Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eaglesβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 0 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 31 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 18
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 69,608
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
For the regular season opener at home, the Falcons faced the Eagles. The win improved the team to 1β1 and also helped Starting QB Matt Ryan improve to 4β0 as a regular season starter during home openers.
Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneersβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
Buccaneers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: September 25
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 89 Β°F or 31.7 Β°C (Rain)
- Game attendance: 46,995
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1β2.
Week 4: at Seattle Seahawksβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 58 Β°F or 14.4 Β°C (Partly Sunny)
- Game attendance: 66,266
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (Fox): Craig Bolerjack and John Lynch
First quarter TD Tony Gonzalez 1 Yd Pass From Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 7β0 Second quarter TD 10:13 Michael Turner 21 Yd Run (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 14β0 TD 08:46 Sidney Rice 52 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 14β7 TD 02:48 Michael Turner 1 Yd Run (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 21β7 FG 00:25 Matt Bryant 47 Yd ATL 24β7 Third quarter FG 13:40 Matt Bryant 50 Yd ATL 27β7 TD 10:01 Mike Williams 6 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 27β14 TD 03:07 Marshawn Lynch 11 Yd Run (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 27β21 Fourth quarter FG 11:38 Matt Bryant 42 Yd ATL 30β21 TD 08:13 Ben Obomanu 8 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 30β28 |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 2β2.
Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packersβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 25 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 9
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 69,576
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth. And Michele Tafoya
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
The Falcons went home for a week 5 duel with the undefeated Packers. This would be, a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Round. With the loss, the Falcons fell to 2β3.
Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthersβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 69,047
- Referee: Pete Morelli
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and John Lynch
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With their 3rd-straight win over the Panthers, the Falcons improved to 3β3.
Week 7: at Detroit Lionsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Lions | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,625
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
- Recap
Gamebook
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons went into their bye week at 4β3.
Week 9: at Indianapolis Coltsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 6
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 57 Β°F or 13.9 Β°C (sunny, retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 65,218
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr.
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 5β3 and went 2β13 overall against the Colts.
Week 10: vs. New Orleans Saintsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 26 |
Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,359
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Overtime
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 5β4.
Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titansβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Falcons | 7 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,164
- Referee: John Parry
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 6β4.
Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikingsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,115
- Referee: Alberto Riveron
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 7β4.
Week 13: at Houston Texansβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Texans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: December 4
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 71,545
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 7β5.
Week 14: at Carolina Panthersβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
Panthers | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: December 11
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 43 Β°F or 6.1 Β°C (Sunny)
- Game attendance: 72,680
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr. and Drea Avent
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 8β5.
Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguarsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Falcons | 10 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: December 15
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,856
- Referee: Ron Winter
- TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons improved to 9β5.
Week 16: at New Orleans Saintsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Saints | 7 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 26
- Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,086
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Suzy Kolber
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 9β6, but were able to clinch a playoff spot due to the Chicago Bears 35β21 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday night.
Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneersβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 24 |
Falcons | 21 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 45 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: January 1
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,167
- Referee: Scott Green
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton & John Lynch
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter |
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Top tacklers
|
With the win, the Falcons finished the season at 10β6 and captured the NFC's #5 seed.
Standingsβ»
NFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
New Orleans Saints | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5β1 | 9β3 | 547 | 339 | W8 |
Atlanta Falcons | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3β3 | 7β5 | 402 | 350 | W1 |
Carolina Panthers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2β4 | 3β9 | 406 | 427 | L1 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2β4 | 3β9 | 307 | 494 | L10 |
Postseasonβ»
Scheduleβ»
Playoff round | Date | Kickoff | Opponent (seed) | Results | Game site | TV | NFL.com recap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final score | Team record | |||||||
Wild Card | January 8, 2012 | 1:00 p.m. EST | at New York Giants (4) | L 2β24 | 0β1 | MetLife Stadium | Fox | Recap |
Game summariesβ»
NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: at #4 New York Giantsβ»
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: January 8, 2012
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 44 Β°F (6.7 Β°C), Partly Cloudy
- Game attendance: 79,909
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
The Falcons lost their Wild Card round playoff game to the New York Giants on January 8, 2012, by, a score of 24β2. It is the first time in NFL playoff history that a team has scored exactly two points. The previous NFL team to score only a safety in a game was the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 against the New England Patriots.
Staffβ»
Atlanta Falcons 2011 staff | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final rosterβ»
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Referencesβ»
- ^ Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Titans game flexed". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Bucs Game 'Flexed' to 4:15 Kick". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
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