History of The Atlanta Falcons - 1970s

1970s

The Falcons would have their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season on November 30, when they played the Miami Dolphins. The Falcons would end up losing 20–7 in front of an audience of 30 million TV viewers. The Falcons would end up going 4–8–2 for the 1970 season. Atlanta would have their first winning season in 1971. On November 22, the Falcons won their first nationally televised game with a 28–21 triumph over the Green Bay Packers in Atlanta. The Falcons would enter their final game of the season in New Orleans on December 19 with a 6–6–1 record, needing to beat the Saints to have their first winning record. The Falcons beat New Orleans, 24–20, with 40 seconds left in the game. The victory gave the Falcons a then-franchise best 7–6–1 record.

The Falcons opened the 1973 season against New Orleans, smashing 35 team records en route to a 62–7 victory on September 16. Although the Falcons opened the season with a huge win, the Falcons would only manage to score 15 total points in the next 3 games, all of which they lost. The Falcons came back and won 7 in a row, including a victory against the unbeaten Vikings, 20–14, on November 19 before a national television audience. Dave Hampton once again barely missed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. The Falcons finished 9–5 for their best record ever, but lose out on the playoffs by one game.

In 1975, with the first pick in the NFL Draft, the club selected quarterback Steve Bartkowski of the University of California. The Falcons finished the year with a 4–10 record, but Dave Hampton finally broke the 1,000 yard mark (1,002) in a 22–13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Bartkowski would continue to struggle in the 1976 season, throwing only 2 TD's while being picked off 9 times. Bartkowski was then replaced by Kim McQuilken, who fared no better, throwing 9 interceptions in three games. Because of the abysmal season, Coach Marion Campbell resigned. Pat Peppler would replace him, and the Falcons would go on to finish at 4–10. In 1977, former Redskins and Cowboys quarterback Eddie LeBaron was named General Manager, and Leeman Bennett became the fifth head coach in club history. The following season, the Falcons' "Grits Blitz" defense (led by defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville) set an NFL record for the fewest points allowed in a 14-game season, with 129. They also set the record for the fewest points allowed per game for the year with 9.2 (a mark that not even the 1985 Bears defense could match). However, due to the team's lackluster offense (which averaged less than 13 points per game), the Falcons finished with a 7–7 record.