Falcons

Five Signature Moments From Atlanta Falcons History

I promise to be gentle and keep the 28-3 and Ron Mexico jokes to a minimum.

The fallout from “28-3” was a signature moment in the history of the NFL, a signature moment in the history of 21st-century American sports and, to a degree, a signature moment in contemporary popular culture. If you refer to some pride-goeth-before-the-fall moment as a 28-3 lead, a high percentage of Americans will get the reference.

For the Falcons and their fans, 28-3 was like the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, or the invasion by the Sea Peoples in 1177 BC. The first epoch of Falcons history ended when the team lost Super Bowl LI to the Patriots. The second epoch is yet to begin. Nearly a decade later, the Falcons still live in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of 28-3. These are trauma years. Before you claim that they are pulling out of them with Michael Penix: a) ask yourself if you thought the same thing two years ago about Desmond Ridder; and then b) also ask yourself WTF Kirk Cousins is still doing on the roster. This is an organization that panics in the face of big decisions.

The Super Bowl LI collapse was so seismic that it’s more like #1 with a nuclear warhead than with a bullet. And Falcons fans have suffered enough. So perhaps it’s best to acknowledge it, then shift it off to its own hors catégorie so other moments can breathe. Not all of the others are “great” moments – this is Falcons history, folks – but they were selected to capture the sweep and scope of the Falcons experience in the half-century before Tom Brady burned the franchise to the ground and scattered the ashes.

Also, in the name of good taste, we won’t be discussing Michael Vick’s crimes against caninity.

5. (Tie) Big Ben Right; Big Ben II

Dates: November 12th, 1978; November 20th, 1983.

In his 9½ seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, tight end Jim Mitchell had seen more than his share of miracle endings.

And invariably, the miracle had been performed by whichever National Football League team the Falcons happened to be playing that Sunday.

So Mitchell figures it was high time the cleats were on the other feet.

At the Superdome in New Orleans Sunday, the Falcons snatched a victory away from the homestanding Saints with just such a miracle finish. In this case, it was a 57-yard touchdown pass which Steve Bartkowski threw, Wallace Francis tipped and Alfred Jackson caught with 10 seconds to play. That gave the Falcons a 20-16 win and allowed Atlanta to stay two games back of Los Angeles in the National Conference West.

“Usually,” said Mitchell yesterday from Atlanta, “you see that sort of thing happening to us instead of for us. I remember my second year here, we were playing the Packers and had outplayed them all day when they up and completed a 60- or 70-yard bomb with a few seconds left. It never seems to happen that way for us. At least it hadn’t until Sunday.”

Lest the Falcons’ last-gasp touchdown be regarded purely as luck, it should be noted that the very play can be found under the title “Big Ben” in the Atlanta playbook.

“We practice it about three or four times a week, but we’ll probably practice it a lot more after Sunday,” said Mitchell with a chuckle. – Jeff Hanna, The Tennesseean, November 14th, 1978.

You know a moment is “signature” when it happens twice in five years.

I don’t remember Big Ben Right, even though (or perhaps because) the 1978 Falcons would go on to win the franchise’s first-ever playoff game, against the Eagles. (Also, I was 7.) But I remember Big Ben II:

Time froze, and an unearthly silence fell over Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. As Billy Johnson rose from the ground, the twice-batted football popped from the jumble of humanity and into his hands.

He circled back . . . outrunning one tackler, skipping away from a second and falling through a third. As Johnson landed, the freeze-frame moment exploded into pinwheels of color and emotion. For the second time in one season, Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson worked a miracle for the Atlanta Falcons. – From Atlanta Journal-Constitution archives, excerpted by Rudy Isaza.

The two Big Bens bookended the first brief period of relevance in Falcons history, from 1978 through 1982. It was, frankly, a very Falcons period of relevance, full of .500-ish finishes and playoff berths in strike-shortened seasons. But those Falcons teams were full of character, characters, and Alfreds: Bartkowski, White Shoes Johnson, Jackson, Alfred Jenkins, Francis, William Andrews, outstanding offensive linemen Mike Kenn and Jeff Van Note, and Leeman Bennett and Jerry Glanville on the coaching staff. They were a tough out, and they could pour on the points.

The Falcons’ two biggest wins of the 2024 season – against the Eagles in Week 2 and in their first meeting with the Buccaneers – came as the result of last-second heroics. Michael Penix’s reputation currently rests largely on his exceptional fourth quarter against the Commanders, which brought the Falcons within a field goal attempt of a victory. Laugh at or lament the Falcons’ fortunes all you like, but never doubt their ability to do something wacky at the end of a regular-season game.

Oh wait: forgot to provide a highlight of Big Ben Right. Let’s hope there’s nothing strange about it.