| 1997 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin Smith (died on October 26, 1997) |
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| Home field | Georgia Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | QBChris Chandler MLB Jessie Tuggle |
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The 1997 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL). It was their first season with new head coach Dan Reeves, who had been hired on January 21.
For the season, they added a new logo and added the numerals and socks on the road jerseys are switched from black to red.
The season was marked with tragedy, as team owner Rankin Smith died on October 26, 1997. The following week, the team wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys for the remainder of the season. The season was the last time Falcons started 0–5 until 2020.
| 1997 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Michael Booker | Cornerback | Nebraska | |
| 2 | 32 | Nathan Davis | Defensive end | Indiana | |
| 2 | 41 | Byron Hanspard | Running back | Texas Tech | |
| 3 | 70 | O. J. Santiago | Tight end | Kent State | |
| 4 | 100 | Henri Crockett | Linebacker | Florida State | |
| 5 | 133 | Marcus Wimberly | Defensive back | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 180 | Calvin Collins | Guard | Texas A&M | |
| 7 | 204 | Tony Graziani | Quarterback | Oregon | |
| 7 | 222 | Chris Bayne | Safety | Fresno State | |
| Made roster | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 31 | atDetroit Lions | L 17–28 | 0–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap | |
| 2 | September 7 | Carolina Panthers | L 6–9 | 0–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 3 | September 14 | Oakland Raiders | L 31–36 | 0–3 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 4 | September 21 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 7–34 | 0–4 | 3Com Park | Recap | |
| 5 | September 28 | Denver Broncos | L 21–29 | 0–5 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | October 12 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 23–17 | 1–5 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap | |
| 8 | October 19 | San Francisco 49ers | L 28–35 | 1–6 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 9 | October 26 | atCarolina Panthers | L 12–21 | 1–7 | Ericsson Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 2 | St. Louis Rams | W 34–31 | 2–7 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 11 | November 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–31 | 2–8 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 12 | November 16 | atSt. Louis Rams | W 27–21 | 3–8 | Trans World Dome | Recap | |
| 13 | November 23 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–3 | 4–8 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 14 | November 30 | atSeattle Seahawks | W 24–17 | 5–8 | Kingdome | Recap | |
| 15 | December 7 | atSan Diego Chargers | W 14–3 | 6–8 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 14 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 20–17 | 7–8 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| 17 | December 21 | atArizona Cardinals | L 26–29 | 7–9 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Week Seven: Atlanta Falcons (0–5) at New Orleans Saints (2–4)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| Saints | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
atLouisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
| Game information | ||
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NFC West | |||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| (1) San Francisco 49ers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 375 | 265 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 265 | 314 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 320 | 361 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 237 | 327 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 299 | 359 | W1 |
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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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Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
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