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Memorable Moments: Patriots vs. Falcons, presented by Empower
The Patriots and Falcons have met 13 times, with the Patriots holding a 7-6 record in the all-time series. Super Bowl LI marks the first playoff game between the two teams. Here's a look back all some of the games between the two franchises.
Sept. 24, 1972. Patriots 21, Falcons 20.In their first encounter, the Patriots rallied from a 20-7 third-quarter deficit to edge the Falcons at Schaefer Stadium. QB Jim Plunkett connected with Randy Vahata for a 37-yard TD in the fourth quarter and a 12-yard rush by Carl Garrett helped the Patriots pull away.
Dec. 4, 1977. Patriots 16, Falcons 10.For the second time in as many meetings, the Patriots mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to top the Falcons at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Steve Grogan's 33-yard TD pass to Stanley Morgan proved to be the difference and accounted for the Pats' only touchdown. John Smith aided the win with three field goals.
Sept. 14, 1980. Falcons 37, Patriots 21.Atlanta WR Junior Miller caught eight passes for 177 yards, including 12 and 22-yard second-quarter TD passes from Steve Bartkowski, helping the Falcons jump out to a 28-14 halftime lead. Stanley Morgan's 25-yard TD reception from Steve Grogan pulled the Pats within a score in the second half, but the Falcons surged ahead with a trio of Tim Mazzetti field goals. William Andrews rushed for 124 yards for the visitors.
Nov. 2, 1986. Patriots 25, Falcons 17.Following a 24-13 loss to Atlanta in 1983, the Patriots got revenge at Sullivan Stadium. Tony Franklin kicked field goals of 31, 32, 32 and 33 yards and Irving Fryar returned a punt 59 yards for a score in the third quarter.
Oct. 15, 1989. Falcons 16, Patriots 15.Paul McFadden's fourth-quarter field goal accounted for the only points in the second half and gave the Falcons a narrow win in Georgia. Atlanta picked off Doug Flutie three times. Evan Cooper had two of those interceptions.
Nov. 29, 1992. Falcons 34, Patriots 0.An eight-yard TD run and 18-yard TD reception by Falcons RB Steve Broussard helped Atlanta jump out to a 24-0 halftime lead. Pats QB Scott Zolak was sacked five times and picked off twice, both times by Deion Sanders, who added 50 return yards.
Oct. 1, 1995. Falcons 30, Patriots 17.The Patriots and Falcons traded blows for three quarters, but the Falcons landed a knockout punch thanks to Jeff George's 33-yard TD pass to Eric Metcalf in the fourth quarter, which stretched Atlanta's lead from six to 13 and cemented the win down south. The Falcons recorded four sacks.
Nov. 8, 1998. Falcons 41, Patriots 10.Atlanta's dynamic duo of RB Jamal Anderson (32 rushes, 104 yards, two TDs) and TE O.J. Santiago (three catches, 53 yards, two TDs) were too much for the Pats to handle as the Falcons improved to 7-2 during their only Super Bowl season prior to this year. Lester Archambeau had half of Atlanta's five sacks.
Nov. 4, 2001. Patriots 24, Falcons 10.The Patriots used skill and a little bit of luck to snap a four-game losing streak in the series. Tom Brady threw three TD passes, including one intended for David Patten that was deflected by the defense and landed in the hands of Troy Brown for a 44-yard score. Anthony Pleasant and Willie McGinest each had two sacks as part of New England's six sack effort at the Georgia Dome.
Oct. 9, 2005. Patriots 31, Falcons 28.The Falcons rallied from a 28-13 deficit, tying the game on Matt Schaub's 14-yard pass to Dez White with 3:52 to go, but Adam Vinatieri booted a 29-yard field with 17 seconds left, capping a 12-play, 59-yard game-winning drive. Tom Brady finished 22-of-27 for 350 yards and three TDs. Daniel Graham and Deion Branch both had over 100 receiving yards.
Sept. 27, 2009. Patriots 26, Falcons 10.Stephen Gostkowski hit four short-range field goals and Chris Baker's 36-yard TD reception from Tom Brady with 7:47 to go put the game out of reach at Gillette Stadium. The game marked the first one between Brady (25-of-42, 277 yards, one TD) and current Falcons QB Matt Ryan (17-of-28, 199 yards). Fred Taylor had 105 rushing yards for New England.
Sept. 29, 2013. Patriots 30, Falcons 23.In the most recent meeting between the two teams in Georgia, the Patriots made a defensive stand inside the red zone to hang on and win their fourth straight game in the series, as Matt Ryan's pass intended for Roddy White on 4th-and-7 form the New England 10 was defended by Aqub Talib. The Patriots had taken a 30-13 lead after Stephen Gostkowski kicked the second of his two 40-plus yard field goals with 6:18 to go. Ryan finished with 421 passing yards; Tony Gonzalez accounted for 149 of it.
