# 1970 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1970 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's fifth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 6–8, winning only four games. They failed to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight season. The team began its season by winning two of its first three games. However, following their 21–20 win over the San Francisco 49ers the Falcons went 2–7–2 in their final 11 games. The Falcons are the most recent NFL to have tie games in two straight weeks.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1970 Atlanta Falcons draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 12 | John Small | Linebacker | The Citadel | |
| 2 | 39 | Art Malone | Running back | Arizona State | |
| 3 | 64 | Andy Maurer | Guard | Oregon | |
| 3 | 65 | Todd Snyder | Wide receiver | Ohio | from N. Y. Giants |
| 4 | 84 | Paul Reed | Tackle | Johnson C. Smith | from Philadelphia |
| 5 | 112 | Bruce Van Ness | Running back | Rutgers | from Philadelphia via N. Y. Giants |
| 5 | 116 | Ken Mendenhall | Center | Oklahoma | |
| 6 | 143 | Mack Herron | Running back | Kansas State | |
| 6 | 147 | Jade Butcher | Wide receiver | Indiana | from Washington |
| 6 | 152 | Randy Marshall | Defensive end | Linfield | from Los Angeles |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 20 | at New Orleans Saints | W 14–3 | 1–0 | Tulane Stadium | 77,042 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | at Green Bay Packers | L 24–27 | 1–1 | Lambeau Field | 56,263 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | San Francisco 49ers | W 21–20 | 2–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 0–13 | 2–2 | Cotton Bowl | 53,611 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | at Denver Broncos | L 10–24 | 2–3 | Mile High Stadium | 50,705 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | New Orleans Saints | W 32–14 | 3–3 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | Chicago Bears | L 14–23 | 3–4 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | at Los Angeles Rams | T 10–10 | 3–4–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 67,232 | Recap |
| 9 | November 15 | at Philadelphia Eagles | T 13–13 | 3–4–2 | Franklin Field | 55,425 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | Los Angeles Rams | L 7–17 | 3–5–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | Recap |
| 11 | November 30 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–20 | 3–6–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 54,036 | Recap |
| 12 | December 6 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–24 | 3–7–2 | Kezar Stadium | 41,387 | Recap |
| 13 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 27–16 | 4–7–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 54,162 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | Minnesota Vikings | L 7–37 | 4–8–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,992 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 352 | 267 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 4–1–1 | 7–3–1 | 325 | 202 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 3–2–1 | 3–6–2 | 206 | 261 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 0–5–1 | 2–8–1 | 172 | 347 | L6 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.