2011_Atlanta_Falcons_season
2011 Atlanta Falcons season
NFL team 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.
Quick Facts Atlanta Falcons season, Owner ...
| 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 |
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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.
Signings
More information Pos., Player ...
| 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 |
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Departures
More information Pos., Player ...
| Pos. | Player | 2011 Team |
|---|---|---|
| WR | Michael Jenkins | Minnesota Vikings |
| DE | Jamaal Anderson | Indianapolis Colts |
| WR | Brian Finneran | |
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2011 NFL Draft
Main article: 2011 NFL Draft
More information Round, Pick ...
| 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 | |||||
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- ^[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.
Schedule
The Falcons' preseason schedule was announced on April 12, 2011.
More information Week, Date ...
| 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 |
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Schedule
More information Week, Date ...
| 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 | ||
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Game summaries
Week 1: at Chicago Bears
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Bears | 10 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
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Week One: Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears – Game summary
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
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
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 31 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
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Week Two: Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
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
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Buccaneers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
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Week Three: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
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
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1–2.
Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 7 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
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Week Four: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
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
With the win, the Falcons improved to 2–2.
Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Packers | 0 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 25 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
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Week Five: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
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
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Panthers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
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Week Six: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
With their 3rd-straight win over the Panthers, the Falcons improved to 3–3.
Week 7: at Detroit Lions
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Lions | 3 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
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Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – Game summary
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
With the win, the Falcons went into their bye week at 4–3.
Week 9: at Indianapolis Colts
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
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Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
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.
- [citation needed]
With the win, the Falcons improved to 5–3 and went 2–13 overall against the Colts.
Week 10: vs. New Orleans Saints
More information Period, OT ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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| Saints | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 26 |
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
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Week Ten: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
- [citation needed]
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 5–4.
Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Titans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Falcons | 7 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
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Week Eleven: Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST[1]
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,164
- Referee: John Parry
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
With the win, the Falcons improved to 6–4.
Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
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Week Twelve: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
With the win, the Falcons improved to 7–4.
Week 13: at Houston Texans
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
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Week Thirteen: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary
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
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 7–5.
Week 14: at Carolina Panthers
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
| Panthers | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
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Week Fourteen: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
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
With the win, the Falcons improved to 8–5.
Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Falcons | 10 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
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Week Fifteen: Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
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
With the win, the Falcons improved to 9–5.
Week 16: at New Orleans Saints
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
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Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
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
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
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 24 |
| Falcons | 21 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 45 |
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Week Seventeen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: January 1
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST[2]
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 68,167
- Referee: Scott Green
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton & John Lynch
With the win, the Falcons finished the season at 10–6 and captured the NFC's #5 seed.
Standings
More information NFC South, W ...
| 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 |
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Main article: 2011–12 NFL playoffs
Schedule
More information Playoff round, Date ...
| 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 |
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Game summaries
NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: at #4 New York Giants
More information Period, Total ...
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| Falcons | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
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NFC Wild Card Playoff Game: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – Game summary
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
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.
More information Atlanta Falcons 2011 staff ...
| Atlanta Falcons 2011 staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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- Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Titans game flexed". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- Adams, Jay. "Falcons-Bucs Game 'Flexed' to 4:15 Kick". atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011.