Team: | Atlanta Falcons |
Year: | 1976 |
Record: | 4–10 |
Division Place: | 3rd NFC West |
Coach: | Marion Campbell (first 5 games; 1–4 record) Pat Peppler (interim; 3–6 record) |
General Manager: | Pat Peppler |
Owner: | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
Stadium: | Atlanta Stadium |
Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
Shortnavlink: | Falcons seasons |
The 1976 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 11th year in the National Football League (NFL). The season saw the Falcons attempting to improve on their 4–10 record from 1975. However, they were only able to match the record, as they finished the 1976 season at 4–10 and missed the playoffs for the 11th straight season. After a 1–4 start to the season, head coach Marion Campbell was fired by general manager Pat Peppler, who himself would close out the season as the interim head coach and finish the season with a 3–6 record. The Falcons also suffered the ignominy of being the only established NFL team to lose to one of the league's two expansion teams when they lost 30–13 to the Seattle Seahawks on November 7.
For the season, the Falcons converted from gray facemasks to white facemasks.
See main article: article and 1976 NFL Draft. [1]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | Los Angeles Rams | L 14–30 | 0–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,607 | |
2 | September 19 | at Detroit Lions | L 10–24 | 0–2 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 50,840 | |
3 | September 26 | at Chicago Bears | W 10–0 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | 41,029 | |
4 | October 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–14 | 1–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 45,535 | |
5 | October 10 | at New Orleans Saints | L 0–30 | 1–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 51,521 | |
6 | October 17 | Cleveland Browns | L 17–20 | 1–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 33,364 | |
7 | October 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 0–15 | 1–6 | Candlestick Park | 50,240 | |
8 | October 31 | New Orleans Saints | W 23–20 | 2–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 34,127 | |
9 | November 7 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–30 | 2–7 | Kingdome | 57,985 | |
10 | November 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 21–16 | 3–7 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 20,058 | |
11 | November 21 | Dallas Cowboys | W 17–10 | 4–7 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 54,992 | |
12 | November 28 | at Houston Oilers | L 14–20 | 4–8 | Astrodome | 25,838 | |
13 | December 4 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 0–59 | 4–9 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,366 | |
14 | L 20–24 | 4–10 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 23,436 | |||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
See also: 1976 Detroit Lions season.