2023 Atlanta Falcons season | |
---|---|
Owner | Arthur Blank |
General manager | Terry Fontenot |
Head coach | Arthur Smith |
Home field | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 7–10 |
Division place | 3rd NFC South |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | G Chris Lindstrom S Jessie Bates |
AP All-Pros | G Chris Lindstrom (2nd team) S Jessie Bates (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
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The 2023 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, their third under general manager Terry Fontenot and third and final season under head coach Arthur Smith. The Falcons attempted to improve upon their 7–10 record from the previous two years and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite starting 2–0, the first time since 2017 they won a season opener and had a winning record at some point, their struggles caught up to them, going 5–10 in their final games. Atlanta matched their previous output of seven wins with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. However, they were eliminated from playoff contention when the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 18.
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Bijan Robinson | RB | Texas | |
2 | 38 | Matthew Bergeron | OT | Syracuse | |
44 | Traded to the Indianapolis Colts[upper-alpha 1] | ||||
3 | 75 | Zach Harrison | DE | Ohio State | |
4 | 110 | Traded to the Indianapolis Colts[upper-alpha 1] | |||
113 | Clark Phillips III | CB | Utah | ||
7 | 224 | DeMarcco Hellams | S | Alabama | From Las Vegas [upper-alpha 2] |
225 | Jovaughn Gwyn | G | South Carolina |
Draft trades
- 1 2 The Falcons traded their second round selection (44th overall) and their fourth round selection (110th overall) to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the (38th overall) pick.[1]
- ↑ The Falcons traded a fifth-round selection (144th overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for wide receiver Bryan Edwards and a seventh-round selection
Name | Position | College | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Ikenna Enechukwu | DE | Rice | [2] |
Keilahn Harris | WR | Oklahoma Baptist | |
Mike Jones Jr. | LB | LSU | |
Xavier Malone | WR | Henderson State | |
Justin Marshall | Buffalo | ||
Carlos Washington Jr. | RB | Southeastern Louisiana |
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
Preseason
The Falcons' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 11 | at Miami Dolphins | W 19–3 | 1–0 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | T 13–13 | 1–0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 0–24 | 1–1–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 10 | Carolina Panthers | W 24–10 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 17 | Green Bay Packers | W 25–24 | 2–0 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 24 | at Detroit Lions | L 6–20 | 2–1 | Ford Field | Recap |
4 | October 1 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 7–23 | 2–2 | ![]() |
Recap |
5 | October 8 | Houston Texans | W 21–19 | 3–2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 15 | Washington Commanders | L 16–24 | 3–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
7 | October 22 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 16–13 | 4–3 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 29 | at Tennessee Titans | L 23–28 | 4–4 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 5 | Minnesota Vikings | L 28–31 | 4–5 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 23–25 | 4–6 | State Farm Stadium | Recap |
11 | Bye | |||||
12 | November 26 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–15 | 5–6 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 3 | at New York Jets | W 13–8 | 6–6 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 25–29 | 6–7 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 17 | at Carolina Panthers | L 7–9 | 6–8 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 24 | Indianapolis Colts | W 29–10 | 7–8 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 31 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–37 | 7–9 | Soldier Field | Recap |
18 | January 7 | at New Orleans Saints | L 17–48 | 7–10 | Caesars Superdome | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,597
- Referee: Brad Rogers
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Robert Smith and Jen Hale
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
Falcons | 3 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 25 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,251
- Referee: Tra Blake
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 3: at Detroit Lions
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
Lions | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,803
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
at Wembley Stadium, London, England
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. BST/9:30 a.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 85,716
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (WSB/ESPN+): Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky and Laura Rutledge
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 5: vs. Houston Texans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 8
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 69,461
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Brandon Gaudin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 6: vs. Washington Commanders
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commanders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Falcons | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: October 15
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,921
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Buccaneers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: October 22
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,620
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 8: at Tennessee Titans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 23 |
Titans | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,008
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (CBS): Beth Mowins, James Lofton, Jay Feely and Amanda Guerra
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 31 |
Falcons | 3 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 28 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear, 70 °F (21 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 69,715
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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The Falcons weren't able to hold off the Vikings, losing to them 31-28, allowing their rival Saints to defeat the Bears and take the number 1 spot in the NFC South.
Week 10: at Arizona Cardinals
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
Cardinals | 3 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 25 |
at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 62,861
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Amanda Balionis
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 26
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,166
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 13: at New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Jets | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 3 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 29 |
Falcons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 25 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: December 10
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 69,496
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 15: at Carolina Panthers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Panthers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: December 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Rain, 46 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 70,301
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Falcons | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 29 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Week 17: at Chicago Bears
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
Bears | 7 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 37 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: December 31
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Light snow, 32 °F (0 °C)
- Game attendance: 61,752
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (CBS): Chris Lewis, Jason McCourty, Ross Tucker and Amanda Renner
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 18: at New Orleans Saints
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Saints | 7 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 48 |
at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: January 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,072
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Standings
Division
NFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 348 | 325 | W1 |
New Orleans Saints | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 402 | 327 | W2 |
Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 321 | 373 | L2 |
Carolina Panthers | 2 | 15 | 0 | .118 | 1–5 | 1–11 | 236 | 416 | L3 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1[lower-alpha 1] | San Francisco 49ers | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .509 | .475 | L1 |
2[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .446 | .392 | W2 |
3[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] | Detroit Lions | North | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .481 | .436 | W1 |
4[lower-alpha 3] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .379 | W1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .481 | .476 | L2 |
6 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .529 | .453 | W4 |
7[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] | Green Bay Packers | North | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .474 | .458 | W3 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .512 | .392 | W1 |
9[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .433 | .340 | W2 |
10[lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 7] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .509 | .454 | L4 |
11[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 8] | Chicago Bears | North | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .464 | .370 | L1 |
12[lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 8] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .429 | .462 | L2 |
13 | New York Giants | East | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .353 | W1 |
14[lower-alpha 9] | Washington Commanders | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 2–10 | .512 | .338 | L8 |
15[lower-alpha 9] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 3–9 | .561 | .588 | L1 |
16 | Carolina Panthers | South | 2 | 15 | 0 | .118 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .522 | .500 | L3 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 10] | |||||||||||
|
Team leaders
Category | Player(s) | Value |
---|---|---|
Passing yards | Desmond Ridder | 2,528 |
Passing touchdowns | Desmond Ridder | 10 |
Rushing yards | Bijan Robinson | 948 |
Rushing touchdowns | Desmond Ridder | 5 |
Receptions | Drake London | 65 |
Receiving yards | Drake London | 864 |
Receiving touchdowns | Bijan Robinson | 3 |
Points | Younghoe Koo | 113 |
Kickoff return yards | Cordarrelle Patterson | 153 |
Punt return yards | Mike Hughes | 67 |
Tackles | Jessie Bates | 128 |
Sacks | Arnold Ebiketie | 6.0 |
Forced fumbles | Jessie Bates | 3 |
Interceptions | Jessie Bates | 6 |
Pass deflections | A.J. Terrell Jessie Bates | 10 |
NFL rankings
Category | Total points | Points per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
---|---|---|---|
Offensive points scored | 226 | 18.8 | 24th |
Defensive points allowed | 240 | 20.0 | 7th |
References
- ↑ "The Falcons trade up, select Matthew Bergeron with the (38th overall) 2023 NFL Draft pick". atlantafalcons.com. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Falcons agree to terms with six undrafted free agents". atlantafalcons.com. May 1, 2023.