1982 Atlanta Falcons season

1982 Atlanta Falcons season
Head coach	Leeman Bennett
General manager	Tom Braatz
Home field	Fulton County Stadium
Results
Record	5–4
Division place	5th NFC
Playoff finish	L First round (24-30 at Vikings)

The 1982 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League (NFL). The team qualified for the postseason and unofficially won the NFC West for the second time in three years. Due to the players strike, this was not recognized as divisions were dissolved for this year only. As the lone NFC West team to qualify for the playoffs, Falcons were considered the 1982 first place team when 1983 matchups were determined.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1982 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	9	Gerald Riggs *	Running back	Arizona State
2	36	Doug Rogers	Defensive end	Stanford
3	63	Stacey Bailey	Wide receiver	San Jose State
4	95	Reggie Brown	Running back	Oregon
5	122	Von Mansfield	Defensive back	Wisconsin
6	149	Mike Kelley	Quarterback	Georgia Tech
7	176	David Toloumu	Running back	Hawaii
8	203	Ricky Eberhardt	Defensive back	Morris Brown
9	235	Mike Horan	Punter	Long Beach State
10	262	Curtis Stowers	Linebacker	Mississippi State
11	288	Jeff Keller	Wide receiver	Washington State
12	315	Dave Levenick	Linebacker	Wisconsin
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Personnel

Staff

1982 Atlanta Falcons staff
	Front office Chairman of the Board – Rankin M. Smith, Sr. President – Rankin M. Smith, Jr. Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer – Eddie LeBaron General Manager – Tom Braatz Head coaches Head Coach – Leeman Bennett Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Dick Wood Offensive Backs – John North Receivers – Jimmy Raye Offensive Line – Bill Walsh			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Jerry Glanville Defensive Line – Jim Stanley Linebackers – Doug Shively

Regular season

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Falcons points	Opponents	Record	Attendance
1	Sept. 12	at New York Giants	Win	16	14	1–0	74,286
2	Sept. 19	Los Angeles Raiders	Loss	14	38	1–1	54,774
3	Nov. 21	Los Angeles Rams	Win	34	17	2–1	39,686
4	Nov. 28	St. Louis Cardinals	Loss	20	23	2–2	33,411
5	Dec. 5	at Denver Broncos	Win	34	27	3–2	73,984
6	Dec. 12	New Orleans Saints	Win	35	0	4–2	39,535
7	Dec. 19	at San Francisco 49ers	Win	17	7	5–2	53,234
8	Dec. 26	Green Bay Packers	Loss	7	38	5–3	50,245
9	Jan. 2	at New Orleans Saints	Loss	6	35	5–4	47,336
Wildcard	Jan. 9	at Minnesota Vikings	Loss	24	30		60,560

^[2]

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Atlanta Falcons^(5)	5	4	0	.556	3–1	4–3	183	199	L2
New Orleans Saints	4	5	0	.444	2–1	3–5	129	160	W1
San Francisco 49ers	3	6	0	.333	1–3	2–3	209	206	L1
Los Angeles Rams	2	7	0	.222	1–2	1–5	200	250	W1

National Football Conference
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins^(1)	8	1	0	.889	190	128	W4
Dallas Cowboys^(2)	6	3	0	.667	226	145	L2
Green Bay Packers^(3)	5	3	1	.611	226	169	L1
Minnesota Vikings^(4)	5	4	0	.556	187	198	W1
Atlanta Falcons^(5)	5	4	0	.556	183	199	L2
St. Louis Cardinals^(6)	5	4	0	.556	135	170	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers^(7)	5	4	0	.556	158	178	W3
Detroit Lions^(8)	4	5	0	.444	181	176	W1
New Orleans Saints	4	5	0	.444	129	160	W1
New York Giants	4	5	0	.444	164	160	W1
San Francisco 49ers	3	6	0	.333	209	206	L1
Chicago Bears	3	6	0	.333	141	174	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	3	6	0	.333	191	195	L1
Los Angeles Rams	2	7	0	.222	200	250	W1

References

1. "1982 Atlanta Falcons Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
2. http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1982-atl

External links

• 1982 Atlanta Falcons at Pro-Football-Reference.com