2011 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2011 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the fourth under head coach Mike Smith.

2011 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Arthur Blank
General manager	Thomas Dimitroff
Head coach	Mike Smith
Home field	Georgia Dome
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd NFC South
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Giants) 2–24
Pro Bowlers	TE Tony Gonzalez WR Roddy White

Finishing the regular season 10–6, the Falcons clinched the #5 seed in the playoffs. Atlanta's season ended quickly as they lost 24–2 to the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants in the opening round.

This is also the first time the franchise clinched consecutive playoff berths, and the first time it won ten or more games in consecutive seasons.

Offseason

Signings

Pos.	Player	2010 Team	Contract
DE	Ray Edwards	Minnesota Vikings	5 years, $27.5 million
OLB	Stephen Nicholas	Atlanta Falcons	5 years, $17.5 million
K	Matt Bryant	Atlanta Falcons	4 years, $10.7 million

Departures

Pos.	Player	2011 Team
WR	Michael Jenkins	Minnesota Vikings
DE	Jamaal Anderson	Indianapolis Colts
WR	Brian Finneran

2011 NFL Draft

Main article: 2011 NFL draft

2011 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	6	Julio Jones *	WR	Alabama	from Cleveland
3	91	Akeem Dent	ILB	Georgia
5	145	Jacquizz Rodgers	RB	Oregon State	from St. Louis
6	192	Matt Bosher	P	Miami (FL)
7	210	Andrew Jackson	OG	Fresno State	from Detroit [a]
7	230	Cliff Matthews	DE	South Carolina	from New England [b]
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^{^[a]} The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection and a 2010 sixth-round selection in a trade that sent CB Chris Houston to the Detroit Lions.

^{^[b]} The Falcons acquired this seventh-round selection in a trade that sent T Quinn Ojinnaka to the New England Patriots.

Preseason

Schedule

The Falcons' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 12	Miami Dolphins	L 23–28	0–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
2	August 19	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 13–15	0–2	EverBank Field	Recap
3	August 27	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 16–34	0–3	Heinz Field	Recap
4	September 1	Baltimore Ravens	L 7–21	0–4	Georgia Dome	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 11	at Chicago Bears	L 12–30	0–1	Soldier Field	Recap
2	September 18	Philadelphia Eagles	W 35–31	1–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
3	September 25	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–16	1–2	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
4	October 2	at Seattle Seahawks	W 30–28	2–2	CenturyLink Field	Recap
5	October 9	Green Bay Packers	L 14–25	2–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
6	October 16	Carolina Panthers	W 31–17	3–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 23	at Detroit Lions	W 23–16	4–3	Ford Field	Recap
8	Bye
9	November 6	at Indianapolis Colts	W 31–7	5–3	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
10	November 13	New Orleans Saints	L 23–26 (OT)	5–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
11	November 20	Tennessee Titans	W 23–17	6–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
12	November 27	Minnesota Vikings	W 24–14	7–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
13	December 4	at Houston Texans	L 10–17	7–5	Reliant Stadium	Recap
14	December 11	at Carolina Panthers	W 31–23	8–5	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
15	December 15	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 41–14	9–5	Georgia Dome	Recap
16	December 26	at New Orleans Saints	L 16–45	9–6	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Recap
17	January 1	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 45–24	10–6	Georgia Dome	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at Chicago Bears

Week One: Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	0	3	6	12
Bears	10	6	14	0	30

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 11
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 76 °F or 24.4 °C (Partly Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 62,115
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

Game information

First quarter CHI – Robbie Gould 41-yard field goal, Bears 3–0. ATL – Matt Bryant 48-yard field goal, Tied 3–3. CHI – Matt Forte 56-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), Bears 10–3. Second quarter CHI – Robbie Gould 23-yard field goal, Bears 13–3. CHI – Robbie Gould 26-yard field goal, Bears 16–3. Third quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 25-yard field goal, Bears 16–6. CHI – Matt Spaeth 1-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), Bears 23–6. CHI – Brian Urlacher 12-yard fumble return (Robbie Gould kick), Bears 30–6. Fourth quarter ATL – Kroy Biermann 50-yard interception return (Matt Ryan run failed), Bears 30–12. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 31/47, 319 yards, 1 interception CHI – Jay Cutler – 22/32, 312 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception Top rushers ATL – Michael Turner – 10 rushes, 100 yards CHI – Matt Forte – 16 rushes, 68 yards Top receivers ATL – Tony Gonzalez – 5 receptions, 72 yards CHI – Matt Forte – 5 receptions, 90 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers ATL – Sean Weatherspoon – 9 tackles, 1 assist CHI – Brian Urlacher – 6 tackles, 2 assists

The Falcons started their season out on the road against the Bears. With the loss, the team fell to 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Two: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	10	21	0	31
Falcons	7	7	7	14	35

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 18
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 69,608
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

Game information

First quarter ATL – Roddy White 2-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 7–0 Second quarter PHI – Jeremy Maclin 5-yard pass from Michael Vick (Alex Henery kick), Tied 7–7 PHI – Alex Henery 22-yard Field Goal, Eagles 10–7 ATL – Tony Gonzalez 4-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Alex Bryant kick), Falcons 14–10 Third quarter ATL – Tony Gonzalez 17-yard pass from Matt Ryan, Falcons 21–10 PHI – Jeremy Maclin 36-yard pass from Michael Vick (Alex Henery kick), Falcons 21–17 PHI – LeSean McCoy 8-yard run (Alex Henery kick), Eagles 24–21 PHI – LeSean McCoy 2-yard run (Alex Henery kick), Eagles 31–21 Fourth quarter ATL – Ovie Mughelli 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Eagles 31–28 ATL – Michael Turner 3-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 35–31 Top passers PHI – Michael Vick – 19/28, 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception ATL – Matt Ryan – 17/28, 195 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions Top rushers PHI – Lesean McCoy – 18 carries, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns ATL – Michael Turner – 21 carries, 114 yards, 1 touchdown Top receivers PHI – Jeremy Maclin – 13 receptions, 171 yards, 2 touchdowns ATL – Tony Gonzalez – 7 receptions, 83 yards, 2 touchdowns Top tacklers PHI – Jamar Chaney – 5 tackles, 4 assists ATL – Sean Weatherspoon – 7 tackles, 3 assists

For the regular season opener at home, the Falcons faced the Eagles. The win improved the team to 1–1 and also helped Starting QB Matt Ryan improve to 4–0 as a regular season starter during home openers.

Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	3	0	10	13
Buccaneers	3	10	3	0	16

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

• Date: September 25
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 89 °F or 31.7 °C (Rain)
• Game attendance: 46,995
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 27/47, 330 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception TB – Josh Freeman – 22/32, 180 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions Top rushers ATL – Michael Turner – 11 rushes, 20 yards TB – LeGarrette Blount – 24 rushes, 81 yards Top receivers ATL – Roddy White – 9 receptions, 140 yards TB – Earnest Graham – 7 receptions, 37 yards Top tacklers ATL – Sean Weatherspoon – 10 tackles, 1 assist TB – E. J. Biggers – 7 tackles

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1–2.

Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Four: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	17	3	3	30
Seahawks	0	7	14	7	28

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

• Date: October 2
• Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 58 °F or 14.4 °C (Partly Sunny)
• Game attendance: 66,266
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (Fox): Craig Bolerjack and John Lynch

Game information

First quarter TD Tony Gonzalez 1 Yd Pass From Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 7–0 Second quarter TD 10:13 Michael Turner 21 Yd Run (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 14–0 TD 08:46 Sidney Rice 52 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 14–7 TD 02:48 Michael Turner 1 Yd Run (Matt Bryant Kick) ATL 21–7 FG 00:25 Matt Bryant 47 Yd ATL 24–7 Third quarter FG 13:40 Matt Bryant 50 Yd ATL 27–7 TD 10:01 Mike Williams 6 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 27–14 TD 03:07 Marshawn Lynch 11 Yd Run (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 27–21 Fourth quarter FG 11:38 Matt Bryant 42 Yd ATL 30–21 TD 08:13 Ben Obomanu 8 Yd Pass From Tarvaris Jackson (Steven Hauschka Kick) ATL 30–28 Top passers ATL – M. Ryan 291 Yards SEA – T. Jackson 319 Yards Top rushers ATL – M. Turner 70 Yards SEA – M. Lynch 24 Yards Top receivers ATL – J. Jones 127 Yards SEA – D. Baldwin 84 Yards Top tacklers ATL – W. Moore 8 Tackles SEA – D. Hawthorne 10 tackles

With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–2.

Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Five: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	6	9	10	25
Falcons	7	7	0	0	14

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: October 9
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 69,576
• Referee: Jeff Triplette
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 26/39, 396 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 18/32, 167 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers GB – James Starks – 12 rushes, 40 yards ATL – Michael Turner – 16 rushes, 56 yards, 1 TD Top receivers GB – James Jones – 5 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD ATL – Tony Gonzalez – 6 receptions, 60 yards Top tacklers GB – Desmond Bishop – 7 tackles, 1 sack ATL – Sean Weatherspoon – 11 tackles

The Falcons went home for a week 5 duel with the undefeated Packers. This would be a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Round. With the loss, the Falcons fell to 2–3.

Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Six: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	3	7	7	0	17
Falcons	7	7	0	17	31

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: October 16
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 69,047
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and John Lynch

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CAR – ATL – Top rushers CAR – ATL – Top receivers CAR – ATL – Top tacklers CAR – ATL –

With their 3rd-straight win over the Panthers, the Falcons improved to 3–3.

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	10	7	3	3	23
Lions	3	3	10	0	16

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: October 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 63,625
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
• Recap
  Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DET – Jason Hanson 43-yard field goal, Lions 3–0, Drive: 4 plays, −10 yards, 1:47. ATL – Matt Bryant 23-yard field goal, Tied 3–3, Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards, 3:03. ATL – Matt Ryan 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 10–3, 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:46. Second quarter DET – Jason Hanson 38-yard field goal, Falcons 10–6, Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:12. ATL – Roddy White 18-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 17–6, Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 3:05 Third quarter DET – Jason Hanson 29-yard field goal, Falcons 17–9, Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 2:25. ATL – Matt Bryant 47 yard, Falcons 20–9, Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 2;33. DET – Calvin Johnson 57-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Jason Hanson kick), Falcons 20–16, Drive: 6 plays, 84 yards, 3:07. Fourth quarter ATL – Matt Bryant 40-yard field goal, Falcons 23–16, Drive: 9 plays, 25 yards, 4:42. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 20/34, 218 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions DET – Matthew Stafford – 15/32, 183 yards, 1 touchdown Top rushers ATL – Michael Turner – 27 carries, 122 yards DET – Maurice Morris – 9 carries, 50 yards Top receivers ATL – Tony Gonzalez – 5 receptions, 62 yards DET – Calvin Johnson – 5 receptions, 115 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers ATL – Curtis Lofton – 5 tackles, 5 assists DET – DeAndre Levy – 6 tackles, 5 assists

With the win, the Falcons went into their bye week at 4–3.

Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	14	7	7	3	31
Colts	0	7	0	0	7

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

• Date: November 6
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 57 °F or 13.9 °C (sunny, retractable roof open)
• Game attendance: 65,218
• Referee: Mike Carey
• TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr.

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – IND – Top rushers ATL – IND – Top receivers ATL – IND – Top tacklers ATL – IND –

With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3 and went 2–13 overall against the Colts.

Week 10: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Ten: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Saints	3	7	7	6	3	26
Falcons	3	3	7	10	0	23

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 13
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,359
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

Game information

First quarter ATL – M.Bryant 36 yd. Field Goal Falcons 3–0. Drive: 16 plays, 61 yards, 8:40. NO – J.Kasay 52 yd. Field Goal Saints 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 3:32. Second quarter ATL – M.Bryant 29 yd. Field Goal Falcons 6–3. Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards, 5:21. NO – J.Graham 21 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 10–6. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:01. Third quarter ATL – J.Snelling 21 yd. pass from M.Ryan (M.Bryant kick) Falcons 13–10. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 6:04. NO – R.Meachem 33 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 17–13. Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:37. Fourth quarter NO – J.Kasay 48 yd. Field Goal Saints 20–13. Drive: 6 plays, −4 yards, 2:56. NO – J.Kasay 44 yd. Field Goal Saints 23–13. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:35. ATL – T.Gonzalez 20 yd. pass from M.Ryan (M.Bryant kick) Falcons 20–23. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 3:00. ATL – M.Bryant 27 yd. Field Goal Falcons 23–23. Drive: 13 plays, 85 yards, 1:55. Overtime NO – J.Kasay 26 yd. Field Goal Saints 26–23. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 2:21. Top passers NO – Drew Brees – 30/43, 322 yards, 2 TD ATL – Matt Ryan – 29/52, 351 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Top rushers NO – Pierre Thomas – 6 rushes, 29 yards ATL – Michael Turner – 22 rushes, 96 yards Top receivers NO – Marques Colston – 8 rec, 113 yards ATL – Harry Douglas – 8 rec, 133 yards Top tacklers NO – Roman Harper – 10 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack ATL – Thomas DeCoud – 7 tackles, 1 assists

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 5–4.

Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Eleven: Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Titans	0	3	7	7	17
Falcons	7	6	10	0	23

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 20
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 68,164
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers TEN – ATL – Top rushers TEN – ATL – Top receivers TEN – ATL – Top tacklers TEN – ATL –

With the win, the Falcons improved to 6–4.

Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	0	7	7	14
Falcons	7	10	0	7	24

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 27
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 68,115
• Referee: Alberto Riveron
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers MIN – ATL – Top rushers MIN – ATL – Top receivers MIN – ATL – Top tacklers MIN – ATL –

With the win, the Falcons improved to 7–4.

Week 13: at Houston Texans

Week Thirteen: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	3	7	0	10
Texans	3	7	0	7	17

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

• Date: December 4
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 71,545
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – HOU – Top rushers ATL – HOU – Top receivers ATL – HOU – Top tacklers ATL – HOU –

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 7–5.

Week 14: at Carolina Panthers

Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	0	10	14	31
Panthers	7	16	0	0	23

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

• Date: December 11
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 43 °F or 6.1 °C (Sunny)
• Game attendance: 72,680
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Jim Mora, Jr. and Drea Avent

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ATL – CAR – Top rushers ATL – CAR – Top receivers ATL – CAR – Top tacklers ATL – CAR –

With the win, the Falcons improved to 8–5.

Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Fifteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	0	7	7	14
Falcons	10	17	14	0	41

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: December 15
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 68,856
• Referee: Ron Winter
• TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers JAC – ATL – Top rushers JAC – ATL – Top receivers JAC – ATL – Top tacklers JAC – ATL –

With the win, the Falcons improved to 9–5.

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints

Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	10	0	3	3	16
Saints	7	14	10	14	45

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: December 26
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 70,086
• Referee: Jeff Triplette
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden and Suzy Kolber

Game information

First quarter ATL – M.Bryant 34 yd. Field Goal Falcons 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 6:07. NO – P.Thomas 4 yd. run (J.Kasay kick) Saints 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:28. ATL – J.Jones 21 yd. pass from M.Ryan (M.Bryant kick) Falcons 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:54. Second quarter NO – M.Colston 8 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 3:59. NO – J.Graham 9 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 21–10. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 1:55. Third quarter NO – R.Meachem 24 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 28–10. Drive: 6 plays, 86 yards, 3:15. ATL – M.Bryant 51 yd. Field Goal Falcons 13–28. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 3:47. NO – J.Kasay 29 yd. Field Goal Saints 31–13. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:37. Fourth quarter ATL – M.Bryant 30 yd. Field Goal Falcons 16–31. Drive: 16 plays, 68 yards, 5:21. NO – M.Jenkins 30 yd. fumble return (J.Kasay kick) Saints 38–16. NO – D.Sproles 9 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) Saints 45–16. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:17. Top passers NO – Drew Brees – 23/39, 307 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT ATL – Matt Ryan – 34/52, 373 yards, 1 TD Top rushers NO – Darren Sproles – 5 rushes, 67 yards ATL – Michael Turner – 11 rushes, 39 yards Top receivers NO – Marques Colston – 7 rec, 81 yards, 1 TD ATL – Julio Jones – 8 rec, 128 yards, 1 TD Top tacklers NO – Jabari Greer – 8 tackles, 2 assist ATL – Thomas DeCoud – 7 tackles, 3 assist

With the loss, the Falcons fell to 9–6, but were able to clinch a playoff spot due to the Chicago Bears 35–21 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Seventeen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	7	11	6	24
Falcons	21	21	0	3	45

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: January 1
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 68,167
• Referee: Scott Green
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton & John Lynch

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers TB – ATL – Top rushers TB – ATL – Top receivers TB – ATL – Top tacklers TB – ATL –

With the win, the Falcons finished the season at 10–6 and captured the NFC's #5 seed.

Standings

NFC South
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(3) New Orleans Saints	13	3	0	.813	5–1	9–3	547	339	W8
(5) Atlanta Falcons	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	402	350	W1
Carolina Panthers	6	10	0	.375	2–4	3–9	406	427	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	12	0	.250	2–4	3–9	307	494	L10

Postseason

Main article: 2011–12 NFL playoffs

Schedule

Playoff round	Date	Kickoff	Opponent (seed)	Results		Game site	TV	NFL.com recap
				Final score	Team record
Wild Card	January 8, 2012	1:00 p.m. EST	at New York Giants (4)	L 2–24	0–1	MetLife Stadium	Fox	Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: at #4 New York Giants

NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	2	0	0	2
Giants	0	7	10	7	24

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: January 8, 2012
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C), Partly Cloudy
• Game attendance: 79,909
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter ATL – Intentional Grounding Penalty on Eli Manning in end zone for a Safety, 13:44. Falcons 2–0. NYG – Hakeem Nicks 4-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 2:47. Giants 7–2. Drive: 13 plays, 85 yards, 7:32. Third quarter NYG – Lawrence Tynes 22-yard field goal, 7:51. Giants 10–2. Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 4:47. NYG – Hakeem Nicks 72-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 2:44. Giants 17–2. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:32. Fourth quarter NYG – Mario Manningham 27-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 9:55. Giants 24–2. Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:38. Top passers ATL – Matt Ryan – 24/41, 199 yards NYG – Eli Manning – 23/32, 277 yards, 3 TD Top rushers ATL – Michael Turner – 15 rushes, 41 yards NYG – Brandon Jacobs – 14 rushes, 92 yards Top receivers ATL – Julio Jones – 7 receptions, 64 yards NYG – Hakeem Nicks – 6 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD

The Falcons lost their Wild Card round playoff game to the New York Giants on January 8, 2012, by a score of 24–2. It is the first time in NFL playoff history that a team has scored exactly two points. The previous NFL team to score only a safety in a game was the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 against the New England Patriots.

Staff

Atlanta Falcons 2011 staff
	Front office Owner – Arthur Blank President/CEO – Rich McKay General manager – Thomas Dimitroff Director of football administration – Nick Polk Director of player personnel – Les Snead Assistant director of player personnel – Lionel Vital Director of college scouting – Dave Caldwell Head coaches Head coach – Mike Smith Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Mike Mularkey Quarterbacks – Bob Bratkowski Running backs – Gerald Brown Wide receivers – Terry Robiskie Tight ends – Chris Scelfo Offensive line – Paul T Boudreau Assistant offensive line – Paul Dunn Offensive assistant – Glenn Thomas Assistant to the head coach/offense – Andrew Weidinger			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Brian VanGorder Defensive line – Ray Hamilton Linebackers – Glenn Pires Defensive backs – Alvin Reynolds Secondary – Tim Lewis Defensive assistant – Mark Collins Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Keith Armstrong Assistant special teams – Eric Sutulovich Strength and conditioning Director of athletic performance – Jeff Fish Strength and conditioning assistant – Jonas Beauchemin

Final roster

2011 Atlanta Falcons roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  8 Chris Redman  2 Matt Ryan  4 John Parker Wilson Running backs (RB) 42 Mike Cox FB 22 Jacquizz Rodgers 35 Antone Smith 44 Jason Snelling 33 Michael Turner Wide receivers (WR) 12 Kevin Cone 83 Harry Douglas 11 Julio Jones 80 Kerry Meier 14 Eric Weems RS 84 Roddy White Tight ends (TE) 88 Tony Gonzalez 89 Reggie Kelly 81 Michael Palmer

Offensive linemen (OL) 72 Sam Baker T 63 Justin Blalock G 73 Kirk Chambers G/T 77 Tyson Clabo T 61 Joe Hawley G/C 62 Todd McClure C 75 Garrett Reynolds G 66 Brett Romberg C 74 Will Svitek T Defensive linemen (DL) 55 John Abraham DE 95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 71 Kroy Biermann DE 93 Ray Edwards DE 94 Peria Jerry DT 98 Cliff Matthews DE 91 Corey Peters DT 90 Lawrence Sidbury DE 99 Vance Walker DT

Linebackers (LB) 59 Spencer Adkins OLB 52 Akeem Dent MLB 51 Robert James OLB 50 Curtis Lofton MLB 54 Stephen Nicholas OLB 56 Sean Weatherspoon OLB Defensive backs (DB) 28 Thomas DeCoud FS 24 Dominique Franks CB 20 Brent Grimes CB 25 William Moore SS 21 Chris Owens CB 23 Dunta Robinson CB 36 James Sanders S 39 Shann Schillinger FS 29 Darrin Walls CB Special teams  5 Matt Bosher P  3 Matt Bryant K 82 Joe Zelenka LS

Practice squad 85 Marquez Branson TE (IR) 19 Drew Davis WR 87 Tommy Gallarda TE 30 Matt Hansen S 69 Andrew Jackson G (IR) 67 Kyle Jolly T 97 Carlton Powell DT 41 Suaesi Tuimaunei S 65 Jose Valdez T 86 Ryan Winterswyk TE Reserve 26 Kelvin Hayden CB (IR) 79 Mike Johnson G (IR) 34 Ovie Mughelli FB (IR) 53 Mike Peterson LB (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 6 reserve, 8 practice squad