The Atlanta Falcons are an NFL team that play their home games in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The team was established in 1965 and currently play in the NFC South division. The team have won six division championships and made it all of the way to two Super Bowls. They lost in 1998 to the Denver Broncos. In 2017, they lost to the New England Patriots, losing in overtime after seeing a massive lead overtaken.
History of the Atlanta Falcons
After the building of a new stadium in 1965, the city pushed for entry into the pro football scene. Certain local businessmen made a proposal to the AFL and got a franchise license. This led to the NFL commissioner quickly heading to Atlanta and forcing the city to choose between the AFL and the NFL. This saw the Atlanta Falcons start in June 1965 at a cost of $8.5 million. At the time, this was the highest cost for an NFL.
The team became the fifteenth member of the NFL. The Falcons got the first pick in the NFL Draft, as well as partaking in an expansion draft. In 1978 the team made it into the playoffs for the first time, losing out to the Dallas Cowboys.
In 1992, the Atlanta Falcons moved to the newly built Georgia Dome. They made it to their first Super Bowl in 1998 after going 14-2 in the regular season. The team beat top seed Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game. They then lost34-19 to the defending champion in the Super Bowl, the Denver Broncos.
The team moved from the West to the South division in 2002. They have been division champions 4 times, in 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016.
Big draft picks
The Atlanta Falcons selected Deion Sanders in the first round of the NFL Draft in 1989. he would go on to set numerous records for the team in his first four seasons, bringing a lot of attention.
In the 1991 Draft, they selected quarterback Brett Favre, who played at the team for a single season. Favre then went to the Green Bay Packers.
Super Bowl defeats
The Falcons got their hands on the first pick in the NFL Draft in 2001 and used it to take quarterback Michael Vick. They made it back to the playoffs a number of times under Vick, until he was suspended indefinitely from the league. He was eventually handed out a 23-month prison sentence for charges related to dog fighting.
In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Falcons drafted quarterback Matt Ryan who would lead the team for the next extended period. He helped them reach the Super Bowl again in 2017. However, they lost out to the Patriots in the first Super Bowl to go to overtime. The Falcons had a 28-3 lead during the end of the third quarter before the Patriots scored 31 points with no response.
Atlanta Falcons support
Over the five decades of the team’s history, the Falcons (nicknamed The Dirty Birds) have played in three different stadiums. The initial home venue was the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium which the team shared with the Atlanta Braves up until 1991.
The Falcons moved into the new Georgia Dome in 1992 where the Georgia State team also played. With the Georgia Dome ageing and Atlanta looking to host a Super Bowl, the city built a new stadium that cost about $1.5 billion. The Mercedes Benz Stadium construction began in May 2014 and was ready for the 2017 season.
In terms of rivalries, the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the main opponents for the Falcons each year.
Notable players
There have been many notable players who have made it to the Hall of Fame over the years. The most notable are Eric Dickerson, Deion Sanders, Claude Humphrey, Brett Favre, Morten Andersen, and Tony Gonzalez.
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons games
The Atlanta Falcons, known for being an exciting offensive team, have had their fair share of ups and downs. This makes them an exciting team to bet on. You have a lot of different betting sites from which to choose. Head on over to Roger.com to check out reviews of the best platforms.
