| 1972 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
| General manager | Norm Van Brocklin |
| Head coach | Norm Van Brocklin |
| Home field | Atlanta Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | TGeorge Kunz TEJim R. Mitchell DEClaude Humphrey LBTommy Nobis |
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The 1972 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's seventh year in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 7–6–1, finishing 7–7 and failing to reach the playoffs.[1] Standing at 7–5 the Falcons traveled to San Francisco with the NFC West division title on the line. However, the Falcons were never in the game and saw their playoff hopes dim with a 20–0 shutout loss. Facing the Kansas City Chiefs in their final game of the season, Running Back Dave Hampton surpassed the 1,000-yard mark. However, a play later he was thrown for a six-yard loss to end the season with 995 yards, as the Falcons lost and finished 7–7.
advantage in time of possession did not score any offensive points
| 1972 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Clarence Ellis | Safety | Notre Dame | |
| 2 | 40 | Pat Sullivan | Quarterback | Auburn | |
| 2 | 41 | Steve Okoniewski | Defensive tackle | Montana | |
| 2 | 42 | Rosie Manning | Defensive tackle | Northeastern State | |
| 3 | 67 | Les Goodman | Running back | Yankton | |
| Made roster | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Practice squad
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | atChicago Bears | W 37–21 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 55,701 |
| 2 | September 24 | atNew England Patriots | L 20–21 | 1–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,999 |
| 3 | October 1 | Los Angeles Rams | W 31–3 | 2–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 57,122 |
| 4 | October 8 | Detroit Lions | L 23–26 | 2–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 5 | October 15 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 21–14 | 3–2 | Tulane Stadium | 66,294 |
| 6 | October 22 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 10–9 | 4–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 47,967 |
| 7 | October 29 | San Francisco 49ers | L 14–49 | 4–3 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 8 | November 5 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 7–20 | 4–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 75,018 |
| 9 | November 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 36–20 | 5–4 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 10 | November 20 | atWashington Redskins | L 13–24 | 5–5 | RFK Stadium | 53,034 |
| 11 | November 26 | Denver Broncos | W 23–20 | 6–5 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 12 | December 3 | Houston Oilers | W 20–10 | 7–5 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| 13 | December 10 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 0–20 | 7–6 | Candlestick Park | 61,214 |
| 14 | December 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–17 | 7–7 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
| NFC West | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 3–2–1 | 6–4–1 | 353 | 249 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 269 | 274 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 4–2 | 5–5–1 | 291 | 286 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 1–4–1 | 2–8–1 | 215 | 361 | L3 |
| NFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–1 | 8–3 | 304 | 226 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 2–4 | 6–5 | 339 | 290 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–5 | 301 | 252 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 1–5 | 3–7–1 | 225 | 275 | L1 |
| NFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Washington Redskins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 10–1 | 336 | 218 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 319 | 240 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 331 | 247 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 1–6–1 | 3–7–1 | 193 | 303 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 0–7–1 | 0–10–1 | 145 | 352 | L5 |
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| Franchise |
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| Stadiums |
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| Culture |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries |
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| Wild card / First round berths (8) |
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| Division championships (6) |
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| Conference championships (2) |
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| Ring of Honor |
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| Current league affiliations |
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Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
