1985 Atlanta Falcons season
The 1985 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise’s 20th season in the National Football League (NFL). They finished last in the NFC West with a record of four wins and twelve losses.
| 1985 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. (Since 1966) |
| Head coach | Dan Henning (3rd season) |
| General manager | Tom Braatz (Since 1982) |
| Home field | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 4th NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Gerald Riggs |
This season marked the first time since 1972 that the Falcons played the Kansas City Chiefs, and merely the second in team history.[1] The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team’s division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.[2]
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1985 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Bill Fralic * | Guard | Pittsburgh | |
| 2 | 45 | Mike Gann | Defensive end | Notre Dame | |
| 4 | 89 | Emile Harry | Wide receiver | Stanford | |
| 6 | 152 | Reggie Pleasant | Defensive back | Clemson | |
| 8 | 201 | Ashley Lee | Defensive back | Virginia Tech | |
| 8 | 215 | Ronnie Washington | Linebacker | Louisiana–Monroe | |
| 9 | 228 | Micah Moon | Linebacker | North Carolina | |
| 10 | 257 | Brent Martin | Center | Stanford | |
| 11 | 284 | John Ayres | Defensive back | Illinois | |
| 12 | 313 | Ken Whisenhunt | Tight end | Georgia Tech | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Detroit Lions | L 27–28 | 0–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 37,785 | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 16–35 | 0–2 | Candlestick Park | 58,923 | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | Denver Broncos | L 28–44 | 0–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 37,903 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 6–17 | 0–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 49,870 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | San Francisco 49ers | L 17–38 | 0–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 44,740 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 26–30 | 0–6 | Kingdome | 60,430 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | New Orleans Saints | W 31–24 | 1–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 44,784 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–24 | 1–7 | Texas Stadium | 57,941 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | Washington Redskins | L 10–44 | 1–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Coliseum | 42,209 | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–23 | 1–9 | Veterans Stadium | 63,694 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | Los Angeles Rams | W 30–14 | 2–9 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 29,960 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | at Chicago Bears | L 0–36 | 2–10 | Soldier Field | 61,769 | Recap |
| 13 | December 1 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 24–43 | 2–11 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 20,858 | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–38 | 2–12 | Arrowhead Stadium | 18,199 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | Minnesota Vikings | W 14–13 | 3–12 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 14,167 | Recap |
| 16 | December 22 | at New Orleans Saints | W 16–10 | 4–12 | Louisiana Superdome | 37,717 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams(2) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 8–4 | 340 | 277 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 411 | 263 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 294 | 401 | L3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 282 | 452 | W2 |
Awards and records
- Bill Fralic, Sports Illustrated NFL Rookie of the Year.[4]
References
- Atlanta Falcons v Kansas City Chiefs
- History of the NFL’s Structure and Formats
- "1985 Atlanta Falcons Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- 1990 NFL Pro Set Bill Fralic trading card, Card No. 34, Pro Set Properties