2023 Atlanta Falcons season
OwnerArthur Blank
General managerTerry Fontenot
Head coachArthur Smith
Home fieldMercedes-Benz Stadium
Results
Record7–10
Division place3rd NFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersG Chris Lindstrom
S Jessie Bates
AP All-ProsG Chris Lindstrom (2nd team)
S Jessie Bates (2nd team)
Uniform

The 2023 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, their third under general manager Terry Fontenot and third and final season under head coach Arthur Smith. The Falcons attempted to improve upon their 7–10 record from the previous two years and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite starting 2–0, the first time since 2017 they won a season opener and had a winning record at some point, their struggles caught up to them, going 5–10 in their final games. Atlanta matched their previous two outputs of seven wins with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16. However, they were eliminated from playoff contention when the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 18.

Draft

Main article: 2023 NFL Draft
2023 Atlanta Falcons Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 8 Bijan Robinson RB Texas
2 38 Matthew Bergeron OT Syracuse
44 Traded to the Indianapolis Colts[A]
3 75 Zach Harrison DE Ohio State
4 110 Traded to the Indianapolis Colts[A]
113 Clark Phillips III CB Utah
7 224 DeMarcco Hellams S Alabama From Las Vegas [B]
225 Jovaughn Gwyn G South Carolina

Draft trades

  1. ^ a b The Falcons traded their second round selection (44th overall) and their fourth round selection (110th overall) to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the (38th overall) pick.[1]
  2. ^ The Falcons traded a fifth-round selection (144th overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for wide receiver Bryan Edwards and a seventh-round selection
2023 Atlanta Falcons undrafted free agents
Name Position College Ref.
Ikenna Enechukwu DE Rice [2]
Keilahn Harris WR Oklahoma Baptist
Mike Jones Jr. LB LSU
Xavier Malone WR Henderson State
Justin Marshall Buffalo
Carlos Washington Jr. RB Southeastern Louisiana

Staff

2023 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office

  • Owner/chairman – Arthur Blank
  • CEO – Rich McKay
  • President – Greg Beadles
  • General manager – Terry Fontenot
  • Assistant General Manager – Kyle Smith
  • Director of player personnel – Ryan Pace
  • Director of coaching operations – Brian Griffin
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Duwane Jones
  • Senior director of football administration – Chris Olsen
  • Senior personnel executive – Ruston Webster

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Ryan Nielsen
  • Linebackers – Frank Bush
  • Secondary – Steve Jackson
  • Senior defensive assistant – Dave Huxtable
  • Defensive assistant – Matt Pees
  • Defensive front specialist – Lanier Goethie
  • Special projects/defense – Mario Jeberaeel

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Dr. Thomas Stallworth
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Roderick Moore Jr
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Bobby Thomas

Final roster

2023 Atlanta Falcons final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 11 inactive, 16 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

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

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 at Miami Dolphins W 19–3 1–0 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
2 August 18 Cincinnati Bengals T 13–13 1–0–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
3 August 24 Pittsburgh Steelers L 0–24 1–1–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 Carolina Panthers W 24–10 1–0 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
2 September 17 Green Bay Packers W 25–24 2–0 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
3 September 24 at Detroit Lions L 6–20 2–1 Ford Field Recap
4 October 1 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 7–23 2–2 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
5 October 8 Houston Texans W 21–19 3–2 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
6 October 15 Washington Commanders L 16–24 3–3 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
7 October 22 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 16–13 4–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap
8 October 29 at Tennessee Titans L 23–28 4–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
9 November 5 Minnesota Vikings L 28–31 4–5 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
10 November 12 at Arizona Cardinals L 23–25 4–6 State Farm Stadium Recap
11 Bye
12 November 26 New Orleans Saints W 24–15 5–6 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
13 December 3 at New York Jets W 13–8 6–6 MetLife Stadium Recap
14 December 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 25–29 6–7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
15 December 17 at Carolina Panthers L 7–9 6–8 Bank of America Stadium Recap
16 December 24 Indianapolis Colts W 29–10 7–8 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
17 December 31 at Chicago Bears L 17–37 7–9 Soldier Field Recap
18 January 7 at New Orleans Saints L 17–48 7–10 Caesars Superdome Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 1: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 7 3010
Falcons 0 7 31424

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 2: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 14024
Falcons 3 6 31325

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 036
Lions 3 10 0720

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL London games

Week 4: Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 707
Jaguars 7 10 0623

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

Game information

Week 5: vs. Houston Texans

Week 5: Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 3 6 3719
Falcons 7 0 01421

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: October 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 69,461
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Brandon Gaudin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 6: vs. Washington Commanders

Week 6: Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Commanders 3 14 7024
Falcons 7 3 0616

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 7: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 3 3316
Buccaneers 7 3 0313

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: October 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,620
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: at Tennessee Titans

Week 8: Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 3 0 61423
Titans 7 7 7728

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 7 111031
Falcons 3 8 10728

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 70 °F (21 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 69,715
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Falcons weren't able to hold off the Vikings, losing to them 31-28, allowing their rival Saints to defeat the Bears and take the number 1 spot in the NFC South.

Week 10: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 10: Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 14 3623
Cardinals 3 9 10325

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 12: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 6 3315
Falcons 7 7 01024

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 13: at New York Jets

Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 10 3013
Jets 2 3 308

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,455
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 14: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 9 71029
Falcons 3 7 01525

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: December 10
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 69,496
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Carolina Panthers

Week 15: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 007
Panthers 0 3 069

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Rain, 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,301
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 16: Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 0 3010
Falcons 7 6 7929

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 69,221
  • Referee: Alan Eck
  • TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: at Chicago Bears

Week 17: Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 7 3717
Bears 7 14 61037

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 18: at New Orleans Saints

Week 18: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 14 3 0017
Saints 7 10 141748

at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: January 7
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 70,072
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

Division

NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 348 325 W1
New Orleans Saints 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 402 327 W2
Atlanta Falcons 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 321 373 L2
Carolina Panthers 2 15 0 .118 1–5 1–11 236 416 L3

Conference

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] San Francisco 49ers West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 10–2 .509 .475 L1
2[a][b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 5–1 9–3 .446 .392 W2
3[a][b] Detroit Lions North 12 5 0 .706 4–2 8–4 .481 .436 W1
4[c] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .481 .379 W1
Wild cards
5 Philadelphia Eagles East 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .481 .476 L2
6 Los Angeles Rams West 10 7 0 .588 5–1 8–4 .529 .453 W4
7[d][e] Green Bay Packers North 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .474 .458 W3
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 9 8 0 .529 2–4 7–5 .512 .392 W1
9[c][d] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .433 .340 W2
10[f][g] Minnesota Vikings North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .509 .454 L4
11[g][h] Chicago Bears North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .464 .370 L1
12[f][h] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .429 .462 L2
13 New York Giants East 6 11 0 .353 3–3 5–7 .512 .353 W1
14[i] Washington Commanders East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 2–10 .512 .338 L8
15[i] Arizona Cardinals West 4 13 0 .235 0–6 3–9 .561 .588 L1
16 Carolina Panthers South 2 15 0 .118 1–5 1–11 .522 .500 L3
Tiebreakers[j]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Dallas and Detroit based on conference record, claiming the #1 seed.
  2. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
  3. ^ a b Tampa Bay finished ahead of New Orleans based on common record. (Tampa Bay is 8–4 against Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, while New Orleans is 6–6 against the same teams.)
  4. ^ a b c Green Bay and Seattle finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  5. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on strength of victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
  6. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Chicago (see below).
  7. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Chicago based on common record.
  8. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory.
  9. ^ a b Washington finished ahead of Arizona based on head-to-head victory.
  10. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Team leaders

Category Player(s) Value
Passing yards Desmond Ridder 2,836
Passing touchdowns Desmond Ridder 12
Rushing yards Bijan Robinson 976
Rushing touchdowns Desmond Ridder 5
Receptions Drake London 69
Receiving yards Drake London 905
Receiving touchdowns Bijan Robinson 4
Points Younghoe Koo 123
Kickoff return yards Cordarrelle Patterson 153
Punt return yards Mike Hughes 67
Tackles Jessie Bates 132
Sacks Calais Campbell
Bud Dupree		 6.5
Forced fumbles Jessie Bates 3
Interceptions Jessie Bates 6
Pass deflections A.J. Terrell
Jessie Bates		 10

NFL rankings

Category Total points Points per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Offensive points scored 321 18.9 26th
Defensive points allowed 373 21.9 17th

References

  1. ^ "The Falcons trade up, select Matthew Bergeron with the (38th overall) 2023 NFL Draft pick". atlantafalcons.com. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "Falcons agree to terms with six undrafted free agents". atlantafalcons.com. May 1, 2023.

External links

Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons seasons
2023 NFL season
Categories