The 2026 season is the Atlanta Falcons' 61st in the National Football League (NFL), their tenth playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and their first under the leadership of general manager Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski. They will seek to improve on their 8–9 record from the previous two seasons, make the playoffs after an eight-year absence, and end their nine-year NFC South title drought. The Falcons also unveiled new uniforms on April 2, 2026, after six seasons with their old set.https://x.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/2010758800287101241?s=20 This is Stefanski's second head coaching job; he was previously the head coach of the Browns from 2020 to 2025. In week 13, he will make his first return to Cleveland since the Browns fired him.
Offseason Staff changes Following the end of the 2025 season, the Falcons fired general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris.
On January 10, the Falcons hired their former longtime quarterback, Matt Ryan, as president of football.
On January 17, the team announced Kevin Stefanski their new head coach.
Ian Cunningham was named general manager on January 29, 2026.
Draft
+ 2026 Atlanta Falcons draft selections Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 13 Traded to the Los Angeles Rams 2 48 Avieon Terrell CB Clemson 3 79 Zachariah Branch WR Georgia 4 134 Kendal Daniels LB Oklahoma From Las Vegas 5 153 Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles 6 208 Anterio Thompson DT Washington From Buffalo and NY Jets 6 215 Harold Perkins Jr. LB LSU From Philadelphia 7 231 Ethan Onianwa T Ohio State
+ 2026 Atlanta Falcons undrafted free agents Name Position College Ref. Carlos Allen Jr. DT Houston Vinny Anthony II WR Wisconsin James Brockermeyer C Miami (FL) Le'Meke Brockington WR Minnesota Malcolm DeWalt IV CB Akron Kam Dewberry G Alabama Philip Florenzo LS Clemson Brandon Frazier TE Auburn Cash Jones RB Georgia Riley Mahlman OT Wisconsin Keelan Marion WR Miami (FL) CJ Nunnally IV DE Purdue Jack Strand QB Minnesota State–Moorhead Jack Velling TE Michigan State
Staff
Current roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Denver Broncos L 7–27 0–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap 2 at Indianapolis Colts W 34–6 1–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 3 at Miami Dolphins W 17–12 2–1 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule Week Date Time () Opponent Result Record Venue Network Recap 1 September 13 1:00p.m. at Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–20 0–1 Acrisure Stadium Fox Recap 2 September 20 1:00p.m. Carolina Panthers L 3–34 0–2 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Fox Recap 3 8:15p.m. at Green Bay Packers W 35–14 1–2 Lambeau Field Prime Video Recap 4 8:15p.m. at New Orleans Saints W 45–24 2–2 Caesars Superdome ESPN Recap 5 October 11 8:20p.m. Baltimore Ravens Mercedes-Benz Stadium NBC 6 October 18 1:00p.m. Chicago Bears Mercedes-Benz Stadium Fox 7 October 25 1:00p.m. San Francisco 49ers Mercedes-Benz Stadium Fox 8 November 1 1:00p.m. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium Fox 9 November 8 9:30a.m. Cincinnati Bengals Bernabéu NFLN 10 November 15 1:00p.m. Kansas City Chiefs Mercedes-Benz Stadium CBS 11 Bye 12 November 29 1:00p.m. at Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium Fox 13 December 6 1:00p.m. Detroit Lions Mercedes-Benz Stadium CBS 14 December 13 1:00p.m. at Cleveland Browns Huntington Bank Field CBS 15 December 20 1:00p.m. at Washington Commanders Northwest Stadium Fox 16 December 26/27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mercedes-Benz Stadium 17 January 3 1:00p.m. New Orleans Saints Mercedes-Benz Stadium Fox 18 January 9/10 at Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium Notes Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Networks and times from Weeks 5–17 and dates from Weeks 12–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling, for the exception of the Week 9 International Series game. The date, time and network for Week 16 will be finalized by no later than the end of Week 14. The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.
Game summaries Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Falcons started off with a 7–3 lead in the first quarter. The Steelers took the lead in the second, scoring 10 points. Nick Folk kicked a field goal in the third and fourth quarters each. T. J. Watt scored a pick six for the Steelers, and they defeated Atlanta 20–13. This marked the Falcons' sixth loss to Pittsburgh since 2010.
Week 2: vs. Carolina Panthers
With the blowout 3–34 loss against Carolina, the Falcons fell to 0–2 for the first time since 2022. This also marked their fourth straight loss to the Panthers.
Week 3: at Green Bay Packers
With their first win at Lambeau Field since 2008, the Falcons improved to 1–2. They also became the first team since the 2012 49ers to defeat the Packers in their home opener.
Week 4: at New Orleans Saints
The Falcons earned their second win of the season with a 21-point victory at the Caesars Superdome, beating the Saints for the third straight game. It was the Falcons' biggest win over the Saints since 1999. With the win, the Falcons improve to 2-2 (1-0 against the NFC South & 2-1 on the road).
Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Standings Division
Conference
References
External links