2010 Atlanta Falcons season The 2010 Atlanta Falcons season was the 45th season for the team in the National Football League . In 2009 , the team posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history , with a 9 – 7 record , but did not make the playoffs . The Falcons have improved on their 2009 record , won their first NFC South title since 2004 , a bye in the first round of the playoffs , and the top seed in the NFC . In the playoffs , the Falcons fell to the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round 21 - 48 . Offseason . Falcons re - signed WR Brian Finneran to a 1 year deal on February 11 , 2010 . Falcons re - signed CB Brian Williams to a 1 year deal on March 4 , 2010 . Falcons signed CB Dunta Robinson to a 6 year deal on March 5 , 2010 . Falcons re - signed LS Joe Zelenka to a deal on March 8 , 2010 . Falcons re - signed CB Brent Grimes to a deal on March 9 , 2010 . Falcons cut CB Tye Hill and signed S Matt Giordano on March 16 , 2010 . 2010 NFL Draft . After finishing the season 9 – 7 and out of the playoffs , the Falcons will pick 19th in the draft . The Falcons traded their second round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs after trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez , and their seventh round pick to the St . Louis Rams for cornerback Tye Hill . Schedule . Preseason . The Falcons preseason schedule was announced on March 31 , 2010 . Regular season results . Week 1 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . The Falcons began their season at Heinz Field for an interconference duel against the Pittsburgh Steelers . Atlanta trailed early in the first quarter as Steelers kicker Jeff Reed nailed a 52 - yard field goal . The Falcons would answer in the second quarter as kicker Matt Bryant made a 49 - yard field goal . Atlanta would take the lead in the third quarter as Bryant got a 36 - yard field goal , but Pittsburgh would respond with Reed ' s 34 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Steelers would get the lead again on Reed ' s 34 - yard field goal , yet the Falcons would strike back with Bryant ' s 23 - yard field goal . However , Pittsburgh delivered the final strike in overtime as running back Rashard Mendenhall got the game - winning 50 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , Atlanta began their season at 0 – 1 . Week 2 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Steelers the Falcons played at home an NFC duel against the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter Atlanta took the early lead as QB Matt Ryan completed a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White , followed in the second quarter by kicker Matt Bryant hitting a 24 - yard field goal . Arizona would reply with RB Tim Hightower getting an 80 - yard TD run , but Atlanta increased their lead when Ryan threw a 19 - yard TD pass to FB Jason Snelling , followed by Snelling getting a 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter the Falcons continued to dominate the game when Ryan completed a 12 - yard touchdown pass to WR Brian Finneran , followed by Bryan nailing a 35 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter Atlanta scored once again with FB Jason Snelling getting a 7 - yard TD run . With the win , Atlanta improved to 1 – 1 . Week 3 : at New Orleans Saints . Coming off their win over the Cardinals the Falcons traveled to Louisiana Superdome for an NFC South rivalry match against the New Orleans Saints . The Falcons trailed early when QB Drew Brees made a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Jeremy Shockey . The Falcons replied with QB Matt Ryan making a 13 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez . The Saints re - took the lead with Brees finding WR Lance Moore on an 80 - yard TD pass . But the Falcons replied in the second quarter with RB Michael Turner making a 1 - yard TD run . The Falcons took the lead when kicker Matt Bryant made a 23 - yard field goal . But they fell behind with Brees finding Moore again on a 16 - yard TD pass . The Falcons would score when Ryan made a 22 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White . The Saints would tie the game with kicker Garrett Hartley making a 32 - yard field goal . In overtime , the Saints drove down to the goal line but kicker Hartley missed a 29 - yard field goal . The Falcons drove back down the other direction and Matt Bryant hit a 46 - yard field goal to give the Falcons the win . With the win , not only the Falcons improved to 2 – 1 but finally won their first game in New Orleans since 2002 . Week 4 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . Hoping to increase their winning streak after a win against the Saints , the Falcons played inside their dome for an NFC duel against the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter the Falcons trailed early with QB Alex Smith making a 12 - yard TD pass to TE Vernon Davis . Then the Falcons had more problems when Michael Koenen ' s punt was blocked and recovered in their own endzone by DB Taylor Mays , putting the 49ers up 14 - 0 . Then the Falcons replied with QB Matt Ryan completing an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Harry Douglas . Then the Falcons took the lead with three field goals from kicker Matt Bryant . He made a 37 - yard field goal near the end of the 2nd quarter and a 31 - yard field goad in the 3rd . Under two minutes to play with the Falcons trailing 14 - 13 , Ryan threw an interception to the 49ers ' Nate Clements who appears to be headed to the end zone and clinching the win . However wide receiver Roddy White chases him down and strips the football which was recovered by Atlanta ' s Harvey Dahl . Ryan engineers a drive in the other direction and Bryant kicks a 43 - yard field goal with two seconds left giving the Falcons another win . With the win , Atlanta improved to 3 – 1 . Week 5 : at Cleveland Browns . Coming off their win over the 49ers the Falcons flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for an Interconference duel against the Cleveland Browns . In the 2nd quarter the Falcons took the early lead as kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 24 - yard field goal . The Browns replied and took the lead with QB Seneca Wallace ' s 19 yard TD pass to RB Peyton Hillis . The Falcons tried to cut the lead when Bryant made a 30 - yard field goal , but was expanded again in the 3rd quarter with kicker Phil Dawson making a 19 - yard field goal . After that , the Falcons scored when QB Matt Ryan got a 45 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White , followed in the 4th quarter by DE Kroy Biermann returning an interception and running 41 yards to the endzone for a touchdown . With the win , Atlanta improved to 4 – 1 . Week 6 : at Philadelphia Eagles . Hoping to increase their winning streak the Falcons flew to Lincoln Financial Field for an NFC duel against the Philadelphia Eagles . In the first quarter the Falcons trailed early as WR DeSean Jackson got a 31 - yard TD run . Also QB Kevin Kolb connected to him on a 34 - yard TD pass . The Falcons continued to struggle when Kolb found WR Jeremy Maclin on an 8 - yard TD pass . The Falcons replied with QB Matt Ryan making a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez . This was followed in the third quarter by kicker Matt Bryant hitting a 26 - yard field goal . However the Falcons fell further behind when Kolb found Maclin again on an 83 - yard TD pass . The Falcons replied with Ryan making a 13 - yard TD pass to Gonzalez . The Eagles pulled away with kicker David Akers making a 30 - yard field goal . With the loss , Atlanta fell to 4 – 2 . Week 7 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Eagles the Falcons played inside their dome for an inter - conference duel against the Bengals . In the first quarter the Falcons took the lead as QB Matt Ryan made a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Brian Finneran . But the Bengals replied with kicker Mike Nugent making a 20 - yard field goal . The Falcons dominated the second quarter with kicker Matt Bryant hitting a 45 - yard field goal . Then Ryan found WR Roddy White on a 43 - yard TD pass , followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 2 - yard TD run . The Bengals caught up in the third quarter with Nugent nailing a 33 - yard field goal , followed by QB Carson Palmer completing a 19 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . Then Palmer found WR Jordan Shipley on a 64 - yard TD pass . ( With a failed 2 - point conversion ) Then DB Adam Jones returned a fumble 59 yards to the endzone for a touchdown ( With a failed two - point conversion ) . The Falcons pulled away in the fourth quarter with Ryan making an 11 - yard TD pass to White . ( With the 2 - point conversion successful as Ryan passed to White ) This was followed by Turner getting a 3 - yard TD run . The Falcons would concede only one touchdown after that as Palmer found WR Chad Ochocinco on an 8 - yard TD pass . With the win , Atlanta went into its bye week at 5 – 2 . Week 9 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Coming off their bye week the Falcons returned inside their dome for an NFC South rivalry match against the Buccaneers . The Falcons took the lead as RB Michael Turner got a 2 and a 10 - yard TD run . The Buccaneers replied with QB Josh Freeman completing a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Arrelious Benn . The Falcons pulled ahead after kicker Matt Bryant got a 31 - yard field goal , but the Buccaneers responded after Freeman found WR Mike Williams on a 58 - yard TD pass . The Falcons continued to score in the third quarter after QB Matt Ryan threw a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Michael Palmer , followed by Bryant hitting a 41 - yard field goal . The Buccaneers responded after Micheal Spurlock returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown . With the win , the Falcons improved to 6 – 2 . Week 10 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their divisional win over the Buccaneers , the Falcons stayed at home , donned their throwback uniforms , and played their Week 10 interconference duel with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night . After a scoreless first quarter , Atlanta delivered the opening punch in the second quarter as quarterback Matt Ryan finding running back Jason Snelling on a 28 - yard touchdown run , followed by a 28 - yard field goal from kicker Matt Bryant . The Falcons added onto their lead in the third quarter as Bryant booted a 51 - yard field goal . The Ravens would answer with quarterback Joe Flacco completing a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin . Atlanta struck back in the fourth quarter as Ryan found wide receiver Roddy White on a 4 - yard touchdown pass . Baltimore took the lead as Flacco completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason , followed by a 9 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap , yet the Falcons regained the lead as Ryan connected with White again on a 33 - yard touchdown pass ( with a failed two - point conversion ) with 20 seconds left in the game . With the win , the Falcons improved to 7 – 2 . During halftime , Deion Sanders was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor . Week 11 : at St . Louis Rams . Hoping to increase their winning streak the Falcons flew to Edward Jones Dome for an NFC duel with the Rams . In the first quarter the Falcons trailed early after QB Sam Bradford made a 25 - yard TD pass to TE Michael Hoomanawanui . The Falcons replied with kicker Matt Bryant hitting a 42 - yard field goal . The Falcons struggled further when kicker Josh Brown hit a 53 - yard field goal ; but they rallied to take the lead after QB Matt Ryan completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Brian Finneran , followed by Bryant nailing a 29 and a 24 - yard field goal . The lead was narrowed when Bradford threw a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Gibson , but they increased their lead as Ryan threw a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Justin Peelle . This was followed in the fourth quarter by Bryant nailing a 21 - yard field goal , and with RB Michael Turner getting a 39 - yard TD run . With the win , Atlanta improved to 8 – 2 . Week 12 : vs . Green Bay Packers . The Falcons ' eleventh game was an NFC duel with the Packers inside their dome . In the first quarter the Falcons took the lead as kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 38 - yard field goal . The Packers replied as kicker Mason Crosby hit a 22 - yard field goal . The Falcons made the only score of the second quarter with QB Matt Ryan making a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez ; but the Packers responded in the third quarter when QB Aaron Rodgers scrambled 1 yard for a touchdown . The Falcons got the lead back as RB Michael Turner got a 1 - yard TD run , but the Packers replied with Rodgers ' 10 - yard TD pass to WR Jordy Nelson . The Falcons scored with Bryant getting a 47 - yard field goal , and after that , they held on for the win . With the win , Atlanta improved to 9 – 2 . Week 13 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Hoping to increase their winning streak the Falcons flew to Raymond James Stadium for an NFC South rivalry match against the Buccaneers . The Falcons took the early lead as RB Michael Turner got a 5 - yard TD run . But the Buccaneers replied with RB LeGarrette Blount getting a 6 - yard TD run . The Falcons scored again with QB Matt Ryan getting a 17 - yard TD pass to FB Ovie Mughelli , but Tampa Bay replied with QB Josh Freeman getting a 1 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams . The Falcons trailed for the first time in the game with kicker Connor Barth nailing a 33 - yard field goal , and with Earnest Graham making a 2 - yard TD pass to TE John Gilmore . The Falcons responded with Eric Weems returning a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown , and getting the lead back with Ryan getting a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Michael Jenkins . With the win , the Falcons improved to 10 – 2 . Week 14 : at Carolina Panthers . The Falcons ' thirteenth game was an NFC South rivalry match against the Panthers . The Falcons commanded the first half as QB Matt Ryan completed a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez , followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 1 - yard TD run , and then with kicker Matt Bryant nailing a 39 - yard field goal . The Panthers scored in the third quarter with RB Mike Goodson getting a 13 - yard TD run , but the Falcons replied as Turner got a 3 - yard TD run . The lead was narrowed as kicker John Kasay made a 36 - yard field goal , but Atlanta pulled away as Turner got a 4 - yard TD run . With the win , Atlanta improved to 11 – 2 . Week 15 : at Seattle Seahawks . Looking to secure a playoff berth , the Falcons traveled to Seattle in their last regular - season road game to take on the Seahawks . Seattle took an early lead with a 1 - yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch . Atlanta would later respond early in the second quarter with a Matt Ryan 3 - yard TD pass to Jason Snelling , with Matt Bryant later adding a 27 - yard field goal to take the lead . Seattle tied the game with a 38 - yard field goal from Olindo Mare ; however , the Falcons took the lead again with a Ryan 24 - yard TD pass to Michael Jenkins to close the first half . On the Seahawks ' first offensive possession of the second half , Matt Hasselback fumbled the football in the end - zone with defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux recovering for a Falcons ' touchdown . Atlanta would later add to their lead with a 25 - yard Bryant field goal as well as a Ryan 24 - yard TD pass to Roddy White . Seattle ' s only score of the second half came from backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst with a 1 - yard TD rush followed by a successful 2 - point conversion with a Whitehurst pass to Ben Obomanu . With the win , Atlanta improved to 12 - 2 . Also , the Falcons secured a playoff berth early in the game due to Philadelphia ' s victory over the New York Giants . Week 16 : vs . New Orleans Saints . Looking to win their division and capture the top seed in the NFC playoffs , the Falcons hosted the Saints in a Monday Night rematch of their Week 3 contest . New Orleans would score first with Garrett Hartley kicking a FG from 52 yards late in the first quarter . RB Pierre Thomas would add to the Saints ' lead with a 2 - yard TD run ; however , Atlanta would respond with a Matt Ryan 7 - yard TD pass to Roddy White to cut the lead to three . After a scoreless third quarter , the Falcons took the lead with Chauncey Davis returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown . New Orleans reclaimed the lead late in the 4th with a Drew Brees 6 - yard TD pass to Jimmy Graham . Atlanta attempted to comeback ; however , New Orleans held on for the win . With the loss , Atlanta falls to 12 – 3 , snapping their 8 - game winning streak . Week 17 : vs . Carolina Panthers . The Falcons ' sixteenth game was a division rivalry rematch against the Panthers inside their dome . The Falcons commanded the first half as QB Matt Ryan got a 6 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez . This was followed by a 55 - yard punt return for a touchdown by Eric Weems ; then with Ryan completing a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White . The Panthers tried to cut the lead with kicker John Kasay getting a 23 - yard field goal , but the Falcons continued to score as kicker Matt Bryant made a 47 - yard field goal , followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 3 - yard TD run . The lead was narrowed as QB Jimmy Clausen connected to TE Jeff King on a 2 - yard TD pass , but the Falcons held on for the easy win , finishing their regular season on a 13 - 3 record . Postseason Results . NFC Divisional Round : vs . Green Bay Packers . Entering the postseason as the NFC ' s # 1 seed , the Falcons began their playoff run at home against the # 6 Green Bay Packers , in a rematch of their Week 12 match - up . Atlanta delivered the game ' s opening strike in the first quarter with a 12 - yard touchdown run from running back Michael Turner . The Packers answered in the second quarter as quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordy Nelson , yet the Falcons immediately struck back as wide receiver Eric Weems returned the ensuing kickoff for a franchise postseason best 102 yards for a touchdown . Green Bay came right back with fullback John Kuhn getting a 1 - yard touchdown run , Rodgers completing a 20 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones , and cornerback Tramon Williams returning an interception 70 yards for a touchdown . The Packers added onto their lead in the third quarter as Rodgers got a 7 - yard touchdown run , followed by his 7 - yard touchdown pass to Kuhn . Atlanta tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Matt Ryan found wide receiver Roddy White on a 6 - yard touchdown pass , yet Green Bay closed out their dominating night with Crosby getting a 43 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Falcons ' season came to a disappointing end with an overall record of 13 - 4 . The 27 point loss was the worst loss by a top seed in Divisional Playoff game history . It was the 2nd worst defeat by a top seed before a Super Bowl with the worst being a 28 - 0 loss by the Los Angeles Rams to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1978 Season .