| 1984 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Tom Braatz |
| Head coach | Dan Henning |
| Home stadium | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 4thNFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | TMike Kenn |
The1984Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise’s 19th season in theNational Football League (NFL). The season saw Atlanta attempting to improve on its previous record of 7–9 from1983. The Falcons would split their first six games, but then suffer a franchise-record 9-game losing streak to knock the team down to 3–12. The Falcons would win their finale against thePhiladelphia Eagles and finish the season 4–12, their worst record since1976.
| 1984 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Rick Bryan | Defensive end | Oklahoma | |
| 2 | 32 | Scott Case * | Defensive back | Oklahoma | |
| 2 | 36 | Thomas Benson | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 3 | 63 | Rod McSwain | Defensive back | Clemson | |
| 4 | 94 | Rydell Melancon | Linebacker | LSU | |
| 5 | 132 | Cliff Benson | Tight end | Purdue | |
| 6 | 148 | Ben Bennett | Quarterback | Duke | |
| 6 | 163 | Dan Ralph | Defensive tackle | Oregon | |
| 7 | 175 | Kirk Dodge | Linebacker | UNLV | |
| 8 | 206 | Jeff Jackson | Linebacker | Auburn | |
| 9 | 233 | Glen Howe | Offensive tackle | Southern Miss | |
| 10 | 260 | Derrick Franklin | Defensive back | Fresno State | |
| 11 | 287 | Tommy Norman | Wide receiver | Jackson State | |
| 12 | 318 | Don Holmes | Wide receiver | Colorado Mesa | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
The National Football League held a draft for college seniors who had already signed with either theUnited States Football League (USFL) or theCanadian Football League (CFL) on June 5, 1984, in New York City. The draft was for players who would have been eligible for the regular 1984 NFL draft, but who had already signed a contract with either a team from the USFL or CFL prior to it.
| 1984 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Joey Jones | Wide receiver | Alabama | |
| 2 | 36 | Mike McInnis | Defensive tackle | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | |
| 3 | 63 | Dennis Woodberry | Defensive back | Southern Arkansas | |
| Made roster | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 36–28 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,652 | Recap |
| 2 | September 9 | Detroit Lions | L 24–27(OT) | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 49,878 | Recap |
| 3 | September 16 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 20–27 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,955 | Recap |
| 4 | September 23 | Houston Oilers | W 42–10 | 2–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 45,248 | Recap |
| 5 | September 30 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 5–14 | 2–3 | Candlestick Park | 57,990 | Recap |
| 6 | October 7 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 30–28 | 3–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 47,832 | Recap |
| 7 | October 14 | New York Giants | L 7–19 | 3–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 50,268 | Recap |
| 8 | October 22 | Los Angeles Rams | L 10–24 | 3–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 52,681 | Recap |
| 9 | October 28 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 10–35 | 3–6 | Three Rivers Stadium | 55,971 | Recap |
| 10 | November 5 | atWashington Redskins | L 14–27 | 3–7 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 51,301 | Recap |
| 11 | November 11 | New Orleans Saints | L 13–17 | 3–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 40,590 | Recap |
| 12 | November 18 | Cleveland Browns | L 7–23 | 3–9 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 28,280 | Recap |
| 13 | November 25 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 14–35 | 3–10 | Riverfront Stadium | 44,678 | Recap |
| 14 | December 2 | San Francisco 49ers | L 17–35 | 3–11 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 29,644 | Recap |
| 15 | December 9 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 6–23 | 3–12 | Tampa Stadium | 33,808 | Recap |
| 16 | December 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–10 | 4–12 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 15,582 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Falcons | 5 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 36 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| 1 | ATL | Mick Luckhurst 38 yard field goal | ATL 3–0 | |
| 1 | ATL | Safety,Richard Todd tackled byRick Bryan in end zone | ATL 5–0 | |
| 1 | NO | George Rogers 3 yard run (Morten Andersen kick) | NO 7–5 | |
| 2 | ATL | Alfred Jackson 50 yard pass fromSteve Bartkowski (Mick Luckhurst kick) | ATL 12–7 | |
| 2 | NO | Tyrone Young 18 yard pass from Richard Todd (Morten Andersen kick) | NO 14–12 | |
| 2 | ATL | Gerald Riggs 3 yard run (Mick Luckhurst kick) | ATL 19–14 | |
| 2 | NO | George Rogers 4 yard run (Morten Andersen kick) | NO 21–19 | |
| 3 | ATL | Stacey Bailey 5 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Mick Lickhurst kick) | ATL 26–21 | |
| 4 | ATL | Gerald Riggs 1 yard run (Mick Luckhurst kick) | ATL 33–21 | |
| 4 | NO | John Tice 3 yard pass from Richard Todd (Morten Andersen kick) | ATL 33–28 | |
| 4 | ATL | Mick Luckhurst 48 yard field goal | ATL 36–28 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
atAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium,Atlanta, Georgia
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Vikings | 3 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 27 |
atHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,Minneapolis, Minnesota
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons (2–3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 49ers (5–0) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
atCandlestick Park •San Francisco, California
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | Passing | Steve Bartkowski | 22/41, 267 YDS, 2 INTs |
| Rushing | Gerald Riggs | 28 CAR, 136 YDS | |
| Receiving | Stacey Bailey | 4 REC, 97 YDS | |
| SF | Passing | Joe Montana | 13/25, 149 YDS, 2 TDs |
| Rushing | Wendell Tyler | 12 CAR, 99 YDS | |
| Receiving | Mike Wilson | 3 REC, 47 YDS, 1 TD |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Falcons | Game Statistics | 49ers |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | First downs | 17 |
| 35–161 | Rushes–yards | 32–161 |
| 267 | Passing yards | 149 |
| 22–41–2 | Passes | 13–25–0 |
| 2–10 | Sacked–yards | 0–0 |
| 257 | Net passing yards | 149 |
| 418 | Total yards | 310 |
| 48 | Return yards | 62 |
| 4–38.8 | Punts | 5–43.8 |
| 3–1 | Fumbles–lost | 3–2 |
| 5–45 | Penalties–yards | 5–56 |
| 34:57 | Time of Possession | 25:03 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Saints | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers (13–1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Falcons (3–11) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
atAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium •Atlanta, Georgia
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Passing | Joe Montana | 12/24, 165 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Rushing | Wendell Tyler | 15 CAR, 69 YDS | |
| Receiving | Earl Cooper | 4 REC, 51 YDS | |
| ATL | Passing | Mike Moroski | 22/43, 289 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INTs |
| Rushing | Gerald Riggs | 30 CAR, 133 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Alfred Jackson | 11 REC, 193 YDS, 1 TD |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 49ers | Game Statistics | Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | First downs | 23 |
| 31–143 | Rushes–yards | 36–153 |
| 165 | Passing yards | 289 |
| 12–24–2 | Passes | 22–43–3 |
| 2–18 | Sacked–yards | 3–28 |
| 147 | Net passing yards | 261 |
| 290 | Total yards | 414 |
| 224 | Return yards | 112 |
| 5–39.6 | Punts | 4–40.8 |
| 1–1 | Fumbles–lost | 3–3 |
| 9–73 | Penalties–yards | 8–50 |
| 24:33 | Time of Possession | 35:27 |
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(1) | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 6–0 | 12–0 | 475 | 227 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams(4) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 346 | 316 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 298 | 361 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 281 | 382 | W1 |
| |
| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Wild card / First round berths (8) | |
| Division championships (6) | |
| Conference championships (2) | |
| Ring of Honor | |
| Current league affiliations |
|
