How Many Super Bowls Have The Falcons Won?

Every year, the final National Football League’s (NFL) biggest game of the season is the Super Bowl. This game determines the league’s overall champion for the season, and it has taken place every year since 1967. While most of the league’s franchises have taken home the Lombardi Trophy at least once, the Atlanta Falcons are one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. The remainder of this piece will discuss the close calls the Falcons have had over the years.

Super Bowl XXXIII (1998-1999)

In 1999, after some close calls and failures over the years, the Falcons made their first trip to the Super Bowl at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, Florida. After winning the National Football Conference (NFC), the Falcons took on the American Football Conference (AFC) Champion Denver Broncos. The Broncos were the defending Super Bowl Champions, and looking to repeat, so the Falcons certainly had their hands full. After Atlanta opened up the game by settling for a field goal, the Broncos responded by driving 80 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead after one quarter. Denver expanded on that lead in the second quarter and took a 17-6 lead into halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Broncos scored two straight touchdowns to start the fourth quarter to go up 31-6. From there, Denver was in cruise control, and they would go on to defeat the Falcons 34-19. Broncos quarterback John Elway became the oldest player ever to win Super Bowl MVP at 39 years old after he threw for 336 yards and one touchdown while completing 18 of 29 passes. While this was certainly a painful end to the season for Atlanta, it was nothing compared to the pain they would experience 18 years later.

Super Bowl LI (2016-2017)

A full 18 years after their first Super Bowl trip, the Falcons made it back to the Big Game for Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. That year, after winning the NFC, they took on the AFC champion New England Patriots. The Patriots had the best record in the league that season at 14-2, so the Falcons once again had their hands full. This time, however, they got off to a hot start. After no one scored in the first quarter, the Falcons dominated the second quarter and took a 21-3 lead into halftime. They would then score the first touchdown of the second half to go up 28-3. 

From there, it seemingly would have been a cruise to the finish and their first Super Bowl title. Sadly for them, that was not the case. The Patriots scored a touchdown in the third quarter in response, and the Falcons lead was 28-9 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots staged an incredible rally and scored 19 unanswered points to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, New England won the coin toss, took the ball, drove down the field, and won the game on a one-yard James White rushing touchdown. This was the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, as well as the only Super Bowl to go to overtime. Legendary quarterback Tom Brady would win the game’s MVP Award for the Patriots after he threw for 466 yards and two touchdowns.

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