2019 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2019 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 54th in the National Football League (NFL), their third playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their fifth under and final full season under head coach Dan Quinn, as he would be fired during their next season. They tried to improve on their 7–9 season from 2018, and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. However, the Falcons stumbled out of the gate and had their worst start for the first time in 16 years with a 1–7 record to begin the campaign.

2019 Atlanta Falcons season
OwnerArthur Blank
General managerThomas Dimitroff
Head coachDan Quinn
Home fieldMercedes-Benz Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place2nd NFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersDT Grady Jarrett
WR Julio Jones
TE Austin Hooper (alternate)
AP All-ProsWR Julio Jones (2nd team)
DT Grady Jarrett (2nd team)
Uniform

After a loss at home to the rival New Orleans Saints, the Falcons suffered their second consecutive losing season and were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the second year in a row. However, the Falcons went 6–2 over the final half of the season, tied for the best record in the NFC during that span, to finish the season with a 7–9 record for the second straight year and 2nd in the NFC South.

NFL draft

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2019 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 14 Chris Lindstrom *  G Boston College
1 31 Kaleb McGary  OT Washington from LA Rams
4 111 Kendall Sheffield  CB Ohio State from DET
4 135 John Cominsky  DE Charleston from OAK
5 152 Qadree Ollison  RB Pittsburgh
5 172 Jordan Miller  CB Washington
6 203 Marcus Green  WR Louisiana–Monroe from LA Rams
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • As the result of a negative differential of free agent signings and departures that the Falcons experienced during the 2018 free agency period, the team received two compensatory selections for the 2019 draft.[1]

Trades

  • The Falcons traded their second-round (45th overall) and third-round (79th overall) picks to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for their first-round (31st overall) and sixth-round (203rd overall) selections.
  • The Falcons traded their fourth-round (117th overall) and sixth-round (186th overall) selection to the Detroit Lions in exchange for their fourth-round (111th overall) selection.
  • The Falcons traded their fourth-round (137th overall) and seventh-round (230th overall) selection to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for their fourth-round (135th overall) selection.

Staff

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2019 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Dan Quinn
  • Assistant head coach/offensive passing game coordinator/wide receivers – Raheem Morris
  • Assistant to the head coach – Steve Scarnecchia

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Ben Kotwica
  • Assistant special teams – Mayur Chaudhari
  • Assistant special teams/offensive assistant – Bernie Parmalee

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Jesse Ackerman
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Jonas Beauchemin
  • Assistant strength – Brandon Ireland


Final roster

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2019 Atlanta Falcons roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 16 reserve, 9 practice squad

Preseason

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The Falcons played the Denver Broncos in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 1, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The Falcons were represented by tight end Tony Gonzalez, who spent the final five seasons of his career with the Falcons from 2009–2013.[2]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
HOF August 1 vs. Denver Broncos L 10–14 0–1 Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Recap
1 August 8 at Miami Dolphins L 27–34 0–2 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
2 August 15 New York Jets L 10–22 0–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
3 August 22 Washington Redskins L 7–19 0–4 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
4 August 29 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 31–12 1–4 TIAA Bank Field Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Minnesota Vikings L 12–28 0–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
2 September 15 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–20 1–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
3 September 22 at Indianapolis Colts L 24–27 1–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
4 September 29 Tennessee Titans L 10–24 1–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
5 October 6 at Houston Texans L 32–53 1–4 NRG Stadium Recap
6 October 13 at Arizona Cardinals L 33–34 1–5 State Farm Stadium Recap
7 October 20 Los Angeles Rams L 10–37 1–6 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
8 October 27 Seattle Seahawks L 20–27 1–7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
9 Bye
10 November 10 at New Orleans Saints W 26–9 2–7 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
11 November 17 at Carolina Panthers W 29–3 3–7 Bank of America Stadium Recap
12 November 24 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 22–35 3–8 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
13 November 28 New Orleans Saints L 18–26 3–9 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
14 December 8 Carolina Panthers W 40–20 4–9 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
15 December 15 at San Francisco 49ers W 29–22 5–9 Levi's Stadium Recap
16 December 22 Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–12 6–9 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
17 December 29 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 28–22 (OT) 7–9 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week One: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 01212
Vikings 14 7 7028

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Two: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 6 6820
Falcons 3 7 7724

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts

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Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 71424
Colts 10 10 0727

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

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Week Four: Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 14 10 0024
Falcons 7 0 3010

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 5: at Houston Texans

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Week Five: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 10 01532
Texans 7 9 172053

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 6: at Arizona Cardinals

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Week Six: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 3 101333
Cardinals 3 17 7734

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week Seven: Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 3 10 141037
Falcons 3 0 0710

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week Eight: Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 3 21 0327
Falcons 0 0 11920

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 10: at New Orleans Saints

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Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 3 10 01326
Saints 3 3 309

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,283
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers

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Week Eleven: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 10 6329
Panthers 0 0 033

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Week Twelve: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 12 61035
Falcons 10 0 3922

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,463
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Thanksgiving Day Games

Week Thirteen: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 10 3626
Falcons 0 9 0918

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers

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Week Fourteen: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 10 01020
Falcons 3 10 171040

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers

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Week Fifteen: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 10 01929
49ers 0 10 3922

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,910
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week Sixteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 3 3612
Falcons 14 3 0724

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Week Seventeen: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Falcons 10 6 06628
Buccaneers 0 22 00022

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: December 29
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,417
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando, Matt Millen and Sara Walsh
  • Recap,Game Book
Game information

Standings

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Division

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NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) New Orleans Saints 13 3 0 .813 5–1 9–3 458 341 W3
Atlanta Falcons 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 381 399 W4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 458 449 L2
Carolina Panthers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 2–10 340 470 L8

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] San Francisco 49ers West 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .504 .466 W2
2[a][b] Green Bay Packers North 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 .453 .428 W5
3[a][b] New Orleans Saints South 13 3 0 .813 5–1 9–3 .486 .459 W3
4 Philadelphia Eagles East 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .455 .417 W4
Wild Cards
5 Seattle Seahawks West 11 5 0 .688 3–3 8–4 .531 .463 L2
6 Minnesota Vikings North 10 6 0 .625 2–4 7–5 .477 .356 L2
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Los Angeles Rams West 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .535 .438 W1
8[c] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .508 .383 W1
9[c] Dallas Cowboys East 8 8 0 .500 5–1 7–5 .479 .316 W1
10[d] Atlanta Falcons South 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .545 .518 W4
11[d] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .500 .384 L2
12 Arizona Cardinals West 5 10 1 .344 1–5 3–8–1 .529 .375 L1
13 Carolina Panthers South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 2–10 .549 .469 L8
14 New York Giants East 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .473 .281 L1
15 Detroit Lions North 3 12 1 .219 0–6 2–9–1 .506 .375 L9
16 Washington Redskins East 3 13 0 .188 0–6 2–10 .502 .281 L4
Tiebreakers[e]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Green Bay and New Orleans based on head-to-head sweep.
  2. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  3. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Atlanta finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on division record.
  5. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

References

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  1. ^ "Projecting The 2019 Compensatory Picks". Over the Cap. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  2. ^ McFadden, Will (March 12, 2019). "Falcons to kick off 2019 preseason vs. Broncos in Hall of Fame Game". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
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