| 1990 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin Smith |
| Head coach | Jerry Glanville |
| Home field | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 1
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The 1990 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Football League (NFL). Jerry Glanville was hired to be the team’s new coach. The franchise changed their helmets from red to black. Atlanta looked to improve on its 3–13 record from 1989. The team did improve by finishing 5–11, but the Falcons still suffered an eighth consecutive losing season. 1990 started out pretty well for Atlanta, as they beat playoff contenders Houston, New Orleans, and Cincinnati at home. The team sat at 3–4 after their win against Cincinnati. It then lost seven games in a row before winning its last two to end the season. Atlanta went 5–3 at home, but winless on the road, which cost the Falcons a trip to the postseason.
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Main article: 1990 NFL draft |
| 1990 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Steve Broussard | Running back | Washington State | |
| 2 | 27 | Darion Conner | Linebacker | Jackson State | |
| 3 | 55 | Oliver Barnett | Defensive end | Kentucky | |
| 5 | 121 | Reggie Redding | Guard | Cal State Fullerton | |
| 6 | 139 | Mike Pringle | Running back | Cal State Fullerton | |
| 8 | 195 | Tory Epps | Defensive tackle | Memphis State | |
| 9 | 222 | Darrell Jordan | Linebacker | Northern Arizona | |
| 10 | 250 | Donnie Salum | Linebacker | Arizona | |
| 11 | 278 | Chris Ellison | Defensive back | Houston | |
| 12 | 305 | Shawn McCarthy | Punter | Purdue | |
| Made roster | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Houston Oilers | W 47–27 | 1–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,222 |
| 2 | September 16 | at Detroit Lions | L 14–21 | 1–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 48,691 |
| 3 | September 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13–19 | 1–2 | Candlestick Park | 62,858 |
| 4 | Bye | |||||
| 5 | October 7 | New Orleans Saints | W 28–27 | 2–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,401 |
| 6 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | L 35–45 | 2–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,921 |
| 7 | October 21 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 24–44 | 2–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 54,761 |
| 8 | October 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 38–17 | 3–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,214 |
| 9 | November 4 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–21 | 3–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 57,093 |
| 10 | November 11 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–30 | 3–6 | Soldier Field | 62,855 |
| 11 | November 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–24 | 3–7 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,755 |
| 12 | November 25 | at New Orleans Saints | L 7–10 | 3–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,629 |
| 13 | December 2 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–23 | 3–9 | Tampa Stadium | 42,839 |
| 14 | December 9 | Phoenix Cardinals | L 13–24 | 3–10 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 36,222 |
| 15 | December 16 | at Cleveland Browns | L 10–13 | 3–11 | Cleveland Stadium | 46,536 |
| 16 | December 23 | Los Angeles Rams | W 20–13 | 4–11 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 30,021 |
| 17 | December 30 | Dallas Cowboys | W 26–7 | 5–11 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 50,097 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 4–2 | 10–2 | 353 | 239 | W1 |
| (6) New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 274 | 275 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 345 | 412 | L4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 348 | 365 | W2 |
