NFL · NFC South · Atlanta, Georgia, US · Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Professional football's most star-crossed franchise, the Falcons have produced moments of breathtaking excellence only to lose in ways that rewrite the rules of what losing can look like. The shadow of 28-3 hangs over every promising moment, and Atlanta's challenge is not just to win a championship—it is to prove a franchise can survive the worst loss imaginable.
Updated March 21, 2026
The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 season that began with a 4-9 start. Atlanta hired former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, a two-time AP Coach of the Year, to lead the franchise. Stefanski assembled a new staff including offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and offensive line coach Bill Callahan, while retaining defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
After riding the bench for most of 2025, Michael Penix Jr. started the final four games and showed enough flashes to make the Falcons' quarterback decision genuinely interesting. With Kirk Cousins' contract looking like a miscalculation after an inconsistent campaign, all signs point to Penix entering 2026 as the starter under Stefanski's new system.
Former franchise quarterback Matt Ryan returned to Atlanta as president of football operations, overseeing the hiring of Stefanski. Ryan's presence brings credibility and stability to a franchise that missed the playoffs for the second straight year and has not reached the postseason since 2017.