# 1987 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1987 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons finished with the worst record in the league, 3–12, and secured the first overall pick in the 1988 NFL draft. Head coach Marion Campbell started his second stint as Falcons head coach in 1987 after previously coaching the team from 1974–1976.
The last remaining active member of the 1987 Atlanta Falcons was Jessie Tuggle, who retired after the 2000 season.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1987 Atlanta Falcons draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 13 | Chris Miller * | Quarterback | Oregon | |
| 2 | 31 | Kenny Flowers | Running back | Clemson | from Green Bay |
| 4 | 97 | Ralph Van Dyke | Offensive tackle | Southern Illinois | |
| 5 | 125 | Mark Mraz | Defensive end | Utah State | |
| 6 | 153 | Paul Kiser | Guard | Wake Forest | |
| 7 | 181 | Michael Reid | Linebacker | Wisconsin | |
| 8 | 208 | Curtis Taliaferro | Linebacker | Virginia Tech | |
| 9 | 236 | Terrence Anthony | Defensive back | Iowa State | |
| 10 | 264 | Jerry Reese | Tight end | Illinois | |
| 11 | 292 | Elbert Shelley | Defensive back | Arkansas State | |
| 12 | 320 | Larry Emery | Running back | Wisconsin | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Personnel
### NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

### Roster
## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–48 | 0–1 | Tampa Stadium | 51,250 |
| 2 | September 20 | Washington Redskins | W 21–20 | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 50,882 |
| – | September 27 | at New Orleans Saints | canceled | canceled | canceled | canceled |
| 3 | October 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 12–28 | 1–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 16,667 |
| 4 | October 11 | San Francisco 49ers | L 17–25 | 1–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 8,684 |
| 5 | October 18 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–20 | 2–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 15,813 |
| 6 | October 25 | at Houston Oilers | L 33–37 | 2–4 | Astrodome | 29,062 |
| 7 | November 1 | New Orleans Saints | L 0–38 | 2–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,196 |
| 8 | November 8 | at Cleveland Browns | L 3–38 | 2–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 71,135 |
| 9 | November 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 10–16 | 2–7 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 25,758 |
| 10 | November 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–24 | 2–8 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,866 |
| 11 | November 29 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 21–34 | 2–9 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 15,909 |
| 12 | December 6 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 21–10 | 3–9 | Texas Stadium | 40,103 |
| 13 | December 13 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 0–33 | 3–10 | Anaheim Stadium | 43,310 |
| 14 | December 20 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–35 | 3–11 | Candlestick Park | 54,698 |
| 15 | December 27 | Detroit Lions | L 13–30 | 3–12 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 13,906 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers$^{(1)}$ | 13 | 2 | 0 | .867 | 5–1 | 10–1 | 459 | 253 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints$^{(4)}$ | 12 | 3 | 0 | .800 | 4–1 | 8–3 | 426 | 283 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 1–5 | 5–7 | 317 | 361 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 12 | 0 | .200 | 1–4 | 3–8 | 205 | 436 | L3 |