2008 Atlanta Falcons
The 2008 Atlanta Falcons went 11–5, finishing 2nd in the NFC South, and lost in the Wild Card round. They scored 391 points and allowed 325.
- Record
- 11–5
- Home
- 7–1
- Road & neutral
- 4–4
- Points
- 391–325
- NFC South
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Wild Card
Where the season ranked
They scored 391 points, the tenth-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 325, the 11th-fewest. Their point differential was +66.
How the season unfolded
The Falcons started 2–2 and were 5–3 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 11–5.
Their longest winning streak was three games, from Week 15 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 38–14 over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 (September 21, 2008).
Their heaviest loss was 24–9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 (September 14, 2008).
They scored a season-high 45 points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 (November 23, 2008), winning 45–28.
They shut out the Oakland Raiders (Week 9).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 6–2.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the NFC South, splitting with the Buccaneers, the Panthers, and the Saints.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 3–2 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 30–24 on the road.
Before and after
That was a seven-win improvement on 2007, when they went 4–12.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2004.
In 2009, they went 9–7 and missed the playoffs.
2008 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2008 | vs Detroit Lions | W 34–21 |
| Week 2 | Sep 14, 2008 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–24 |
| Week 3 | Sep 21, 2008 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | W 38–14 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2008 | at Carolina Panthers | L 9–24 |
| Week 5 | Oct 5, 2008 | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–24 |
| Week 6 | Oct 12, 2008 | vs Chicago Bears | W 22–20 |
| Week 8 | Oct 26, 2008 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–27 |
| Week 9 | Nov 2, 2008 | at Oakland Raiders | W 24–0 |
| Week 10 | Nov 9, 2008 | vs New Orleans Saints | W 34–20 |
| Week 11 | Nov 16, 2008 | vs Denver Broncos | L 20–24 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2008 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 45–28 |
| Week 13 | Nov 30, 2008 | at San Diego Chargers | W 22–16 |
| Week 14 | Dec 7, 2008 | at New Orleans Saints | L 25–29 |
| Week 15 | Dec 14, 2008 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 13–10 (OT) |
| Week 16 | Dec 21, 2008 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 24–17 |
| Week 17 | Dec 28, 2008 | vs St. Louis Rams | W 31–27 |
| Wild Card | Jan 3, 2009 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 24–30 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2008 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.