The 2022 season was the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

' 57th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), their sixth playing their home games at

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it is the home of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and Atlanta ...

and their second under

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Arthur Smith. The Falcons matched their 7–10 record from the previous season, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Despite the setbacks, the Falcons defeated quarterback

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

for the first time ever in his career during the last game of the regular season, avenging their

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...

loss. Also notable for the first time since

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, long-time quarterback Matt Ryan was not on the roster as the Falcons traded him to

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

on March 21. The team signed former

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

quarterback

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks footb ...

as their new quarterback on the same day. Mariota was reunited with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who served as the tight ends coach and offensive coordinator during Mariota's tenure with Tennessee (2015–2019). As of the 2024 season, this season is the Falcons' most recent last-place finish in the NFC South. It was the first season since

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

that

Calvin Ridley Calvin Orin Ridley (born December 20, 1994) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was a part of the n ...

was not on the roster.

Draft

Draft trades

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

The Falcons' preseason opponents and schedule were announced in the spring.

Regular season

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 2: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 5: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 7: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 9: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 10: at Carolina Panthers

Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 12: at Washington Commanders

Week 13: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15: at New Orleans Saints

Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens

With this loss, coupled with wins by the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, the Falcons were eliminated from postseason contention.

Week 17: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 18: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite this game having no playoff implications for either team, the Falcons beat the Buccaneers 30-17, officially getting the franchise's first ever victory against Tom Brady. The game featured several milestones for the Falcons rookie class. Quarterback Desmond Ridder threw his first (and second) career touchdown pass, running back Tyler Allgeier passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark while setting the franchise rookie record, and wide receiver Drake London passed tight-end Kyle Pitts for the most receptions by a rookie in franchise history. Following their victory and the rest of the Week 18 results, the Falcons secured the 8th spot in the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

Standings

Division

Conference

Team leaders

NFL rankings

References

External links

* {{2022 NFL season by team

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Atlanta Falcons seasons