The 2021 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 56th season in the National Football League (NFL), their fifth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their first under general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.
For the first time since 2010, wide receiver Julio Jones was not on the roster as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans on June 6, 2021. Jones departed Atlanta holding the most career receiving yards and receptions in Falcons franchise history.
Following their Week 12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Falcons improved their 4–12 season from the previous year. However, the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
It was also their final season with quarterback Matt Ryan, who had been with the team since 2008, as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for the following season. The Falcons also got rid of Calvin Ridley after the season.
Draft
2021 Atlanta Falcons Draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 4 Kyle Pitts TE Florida Highest selected tight end in NFL history 2 40 Richie Grant S UCF from Denver Broncos 3 68 Jalen Mayfield OG Michigan 4 108 Darren Hall CB San Diego State 114 Drew Dalman C Stanford from Denver Broncos 5 148 Ta'Quon Graham DE Texas 182 Adetokunbo Ogundeji DE Notre Dame 183 Avery Williams CB Boise State 6 187 Frank Darby WR Arizona State Notes The Falcons were awarded 3 compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL draft. The Falcons traded their second-round (35th overall) and sixth-round (219th overall) picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for their second-round (40th overall) and fourth-round (114th overall) selections. All of the Falcons selections in this draft made the 53-man roster at the start of the regular season.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Tennessee Titans L 3–23 0–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 2 at Miami Dolphins L 17–37 0–2 Hard Rock Stadium Recap 3 August 29 Cleveland Browns L 10–19 0–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule The Falcons' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. They opened the season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 12 Philadelphia Eagles L 6–32 0–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 2 September 19 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 25–48 0–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap 3 September 26 at New York Giants W 17–14 1–2 MetLife Stadium Recap 4 October 3 Washington Football Team L 30–34 1–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 5 October 10 New York Jets W 27–20 2–3 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Recap 6 Bye 7 October 24 at Miami Dolphins W 30–28 3–3 Hard Rock Stadium Recap 8 October 31 Carolina Panthers L 13–19 3–4 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 9 November 7 at New Orleans Saints W 27–25 4–4 Caesars Superdome Recap 10 November 14 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–43 4–5 AT&T Stadium Recap 11 New England Patriots L 0–25 4–6 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 12 November 28 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 21–14 5–6 TIAA Bank Field Recap 13 December 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 17–30 5–7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 14 December 12 at Carolina Panthers W 29–21 6–7 Bank of America Stadium Recap 15 December 19 at San Francisco 49ers L 13–31 6–8 Levi's Stadium Recap 16 December 26 Detroit Lions W 20–16 7–8 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 17 January 2 at Buffalo Bills L 15–29 7–9 Highmark Stadium Recap 18 January 9 New Orleans Saints L 20–30 7–10 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles The Falcons start their season off with a 26-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: at New York Giants
Week 4: vs. Washington Football Team
Week 5: vs. New York Jets NFL London games
Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 9: at New Orleans Saints
Younghoe Koo kicked a game-winning field goal as time ran out, improving Atlanta to 4–4.
Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 11: vs. New England Patriots
With the disastrous loss to New England, which was the 8th time the Falcons failed to beat the Patriots since 1998, the Falcons fell to 4-6 on the year.
Week 12: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 14: at Carolina Panthers
Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 17: at Buffalo Bills
With the loss, Atlanta fell to 7-9, finishing 2-3 against the AFC, and they were eliminated from playoff contention for the 4th straight year.
Week 18: vs. New Orleans Saints
Coming off with a 2-point win in Week 9, they host the Saints. They were defeated by 10 points and finish their season with a 7-10 record.
Standings Division
Conference
References
External links