The Atlanta Falcons are a team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons compete in the NFL as a member of the Southern Division of the National Conference. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered it a franchise to prevent it from joining its rival the American Football League(AFL).

The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965, when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership to Rankin Smith Sr. for a total of 8.5 million as payment, the highest price in NFL history at the time for a franchise. Rozelle and Smith came to an agreement and the Falcons brought the biggest and most popular sport to the city of Atlanta. The Atlanta team became the fifteenth NFL franchise, and were awarded the first overall pick in the 1966 Draft, as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds. In the draft they selected Tommy Nobis from the University of Texas, making him the first Falcon.

In their 54 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 375-475-6 (365-461-6 in the regular season and 10-14 in the playoffs), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016. The Falcons after winning the NFC Championship appeared in two Super Bowls, the first during the 1998 season in Super Bowl XXXIII, where they lost to the Denver Broncos 34-19, and the second was eighteen years later, with another 34-28 overtime loss to The New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

The Falcons ' current home ground is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017. The team headquarters and practice facilities are located on a 20-acre site in Flowery Branch in Hall County, northeast of Atlanta.

American Football Conference | AFC

National Football Conference | NFC