# 2011 Atlanta Falcons season

The 2011 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the fourth under head coach Mike Smith.
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 10 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

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 |
| 7 | 230 | Cliff Matthews | DE | South Carolina | from New England |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
    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.
    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 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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

| 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 :
| viewtalkedit | 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
### Schedule

| Playoff round | Date | Kickoff | Opponent (seed) | Results | Results | Game site | TV | NFL.com recap |
| Playoff round | Date | Kickoff | Opponent (seed) | Final score | Team record | Game site | TV | NFL.com recap |
| 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

| 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.