# 1972 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1972 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's seventh year in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 7–6–1, finishing 7–7 and failing to reach the playoffs. Standing at 7–5 the Falcons traveled to San Francisco with the NFC West division title on the line. However, the Falcons were never in the game and saw their playoff hopes dim with a 20–0 shutout loss. Facing the Kansas City Chiefs in their final game of the season, Running Back Dave Hampton surpassed the 1,000-yard mark. However, a play later he was thrown for a six-yard loss to end the season with 995 yards, as the Falcons lost and finished 7–7.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

advantage in time of possession did not score any offensive points
1972 Atlanta Falcons draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 15 | Clarence Ellis | Safety | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 40 | Pat Sullivan | Quarterback | Auburn |
| 2 | 41 | Steve Okoniewski | Defensive tackle | Montana |
| 2 | 42 | Rosie Manning | Defensive tackle | Northeastern State |
| 3 | 67 | Les Goodman | Running back | Yankton |
| Made roster ||||||

## Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 17 | at Chicago Bears | W 37–21 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 55,701 |
| 2 | September 24 | at New England Patriots | L 20–21 | 1–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,999 |
| 3 | October 1 | Los Angeles Rams | W 31–3 | 2–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,122 |
| 4 | October 8 | Detroit Lions | L 23–26 | 2–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 5 | October 15 | at New Orleans Saints | W 21–14 | 3–2 | Tulane Stadium | 66,294 |
| 6 | October 22 | at Green Bay Packers | W 10–9 | 4–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 47,967 |
| 7 | October 29 | San Francisco 49ers | L 14–49 | 4–3 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 8 | November 5 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 7–20 | 4–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 75,018 |
| 9 | November 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 36–20 | 5–4 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 10 | November 20 | at Washington Redskins | L 13–24 | 5–5 | RFK Stadium | 53,034 |
| 11 | November 26 | Denver Broncos | W 23–20 | 6–5 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 12 | December 3 | Houston Oilers | W 20–10 | 7–5 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 13 | December 10 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 0–20 | 7–6 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 |
| 14 | December 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–17 | 7–7 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 3–2–1 | 6–4–1 | 353 | 249 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 269 | 274 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 4–2 | 5–5–1 | 291 | 286 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 1–4–1 | 2–8–1 | 215 | 361 | L3 |
NFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 8–3 | 304 | 226 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 2–4 | 6–5 | 339 | 290 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 301 | 252 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 1–5 | 3–7–1 | 225 | 275 | L1 |
NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Washington Redskins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 10–1 | 336 | 218 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 319 | 240 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 331 | 247 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 1–6–1 | 3–7–1 | 193 | 303 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 0–7–1 | 0–10–1 | 145 | 352 | L5 |