The Playoff Run Of The 1995 Atlanta Falcons

The city of Atlanta had seen playoff football only four times in their NFL history, and the most recent was 1991. June Jones, the architect of a spread-the-field passing game that is commonplace today, but was innovative back then, was hired as head coach in 1994. One year later, the 1995 Atlanta Falcons made the playoffs.

Jeff George was at quarterback. Renowned for a big arm, George averaged 7.4 yards-per-attempt, which was sixth among NFL starters. His TD-INT ratio of 24/11 was good for its time, and his 2.0 interception rate also ranked sixth. George’s 60 percent completion rate was 11^th.

He had an array of receivers to use, and Eric Metcalf was the best, with 104 catches for nearly 1,200 yards. Terrance Mathis and Bert Emanuel combined for 152 receptions, and over 2,000 more yards. And they got help in the running game. Despite running behind a mediocre offensive line, Craig Heyward rolled up almost 1,100 yards on the ground. Atlanta’s offense ended up 11^th in the NFL for points scored.

The defense was a little more problematic, ranking 19^th in what was then a 30-team league. But they had some playmakers. Defensive end Chris Doleman made the Pro Bowl at age 34, as did middle linebacker Jessie Tuggle.

Carolina was an expansion franchise in 1995, and the Panthers played their first game in Atlanta. It proved to be a lot tougher than the Falcons might have hoped. They turned the ball over three times and dug themselves a 10-0 hole. But George was spreading the ball around, with Metcalf and Emmanuel combining for 185 receiving yards. Atlanta rallied to pull even and then won in overtime, 23-20.

A road trip to face the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers was up next and it was a bloodbath. The Falcons were dominated in the trenches, losing rush yardage 158-25. George threw two interceptions. Atlanta trailed 24-0 by the second quarter and lost 41-10.

The Falcons paid a visit to New Orleans. Facing a mediocre opponent, Atlanta trailed 24-16 in the fourth quarter. But they rallied. George went 27/39 for 386 yards, while Metcalf caught 11 balls for 195 yards. Heyward’s touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion, tied the game. And for the second time in three weeks, the Falcons got an overtime win, this one 27-24.

A late afternoon home game with a bad New York Jets team was on tap. Atlanta’s offense bogged down, with the passing game unable to get opened up. But the defense and running game stepped up. The Jets never found the end zone and linebacker Chuck Smith picked off two passes. Heyward ran for 120 yards and the Falcons chiseled out a 13-3 win.

The New England Patriots had gone to the playoffs in 1994 but were bound for a 6-10 season in ’95. Atlanta helped them along that path. The defense sacked Drew Bledsoe four times and George spread the ball around in the passing game. Heyward pounded out 84 yards on the ground. In a 17-17 tie after three quarters, the Falcons took over the final period and won 30-17.

Atlanta was 4-1 going into the bye week and tied for first. Prior to the realignment of 2002, the Falcons occupied the old NFC West. San Francisco was also 4-1. So were the Rams, playing their first season in St. Louis. The division was rounded out by Carolina and New Orleans (I know, it doesn’t sound very western, especially with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC East. Realignment was clearly needed).

A Thursday Night trip to St. Louis had turned into an unexpected showdown. Atlanta dug themselves a 14-0 hole. They got back into the game on special teams, returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown. And trailing 21-10, Metcalf brought a punt back to the house. But George, while playing mistake-free, couldn’t get opened up and there was no running game to speak of. In spite of the special teams dominance, the Falcons dropped a 21-19 decision.

George had no such problems ten days later at mediocre Tampa Bay. He went 24/37 for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Metcalf and Emmanuel each cleared the 100-yard threshold, and the Falcons won 24-21.

The Dallas Cowboys came to town on the final weekend of October. It was a huge sports weekend for the city of Atlanta. On Saturday night, the Braves clinched a World Series title. On Sunday, the Falcons would get a crack at the team that was setting the pace in the NFC and was en route to their third Super Bowl championship in four years.

George hit Metcalf with a 42-yard touchdown pass and the Falcons jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. But the Cowboy running game was too physical, they wore Atlanta down and the afternoon ended in a 28-13 loss.

By season’s end, the Detroit Lions would be one of the teams Atlanta was battling with for playoff position, and the Lions came into the Georgia Dome a week later. Defensive back Alton Montgomery got the party started with a 71-yard Pick-6. George had an electric performance, going 31/40 for 362 yards. The Falcons raced toa  27-zip lead by the second quarter and closed out a 34-22 win.

A difficult schedule stretch sent Atlanta to Buffalo, to face the eventual AFC East champion Bills. George was erratic, going 17/34, although he did throw for 279 yards and Emmanuel had a 100-yard day. But the problems on the offensive line showed up—no running game and George was sacked five times. The Falcons lost 23-17.

The Rams came south in what was still a three-team race in the NFC West. George’s passing game got cooking early. He found Mathis on TD passes from 18 yards and 17 yards, to stake Atlanta to a quick 14-0 lead. George finished with 352 yards passing, four touchdowns, and no mistakes. Mathis caught ten balls for 184 yards. The Falcons rolled to a 31-6 blowout win.

Tied for first with San Francisco, a trip to lowly Arizona seemed perfect. Especially when Tuggle’s Pick-6 keyed a 20-6 lead in the first half. But while George threw for 280 yards, he only went 15/34. Combined with the lack of a running game, the Falcons couldn’t manage the clock. The game turned into a shootout. For the third time this season, Atlanta went to overtime…but this time they lost, 40-37.

Atlanta was 7-5, still just a game back of San Francisco as the season turned to the homestretch. The Falcons and 49ers were slated to meet in the season finale, and based on current division records, Atlanta could take the tiebreaker with a win. In other words, they controlled their destiny to win the NFC West.

The race for three wild-card spots was jam-packed. Philadelphia was 8-4 and set the pace. Atlanta and Chicago were each 7-5, and in playoff position. But four teams—St. Louis, Detroit, Minnesota and Tampa Bay, were all in hot pursuit at 6-6.

It all added up to a fourth quarter of the season were literally anything was possible.

The Falcons went down to Miami, where the Dolphins were in their own packed wild-card race in the AFC. George played efficient football, going 17/23 for 210 yards and no interceptions. Atlanta led 20-9 in the fourth quarter. But they couldn’t run the ball and Dan Marino eventually rallied the Fish. The Falcons suffered a tough 21-20 loss.

On the plus side, Chicago also lost. But Detroit, Minnesota and St. Louis all won. Atlanta joined these four teams at 7-6 in a race for two spots.

A home date with New Orleans felt like a must-win. The Falcons played mistake-free football and their great kicker, Morten Andersen, connected three times from over 50 yards. Atlanta survived, 19-14. St. Louis and Chicago both lost. It was now the Falcons, Lions and Vikings at 8-6. The Falcons had a narrow edge on conference record and were holding the 5-seed (the format of the era was three division winners and three wild-cards) with two weeks to go.

Atlanta went up to Carolina and jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind a pair of George touchdown passes. Once again, however, the inability to run the ball prevented the Falcons from salting a game away. They gave up an 89-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and suffered a damaging 21-17 loss.

Detroit won and salted away one playoff berth. There was one wild-card left. The good news was that Chicago and Minnesota both lost. Atlanta had a tiebreaker edge on both, so they were still in control of their fate for the season’s final Sunday on Christmas Eve.

The bad news was that San Francisco stood in the way. The 49ers were merely the hottest team in football, having pulled away with the division, passed Dallas in the conference overall and needed a win to secure the #1 seed.

Even playing at home, the Falcons were a ten-point underdog and they fell behind 14-3. George threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to put Atlanta back in the game, but then the starting quarterback sprained his neck late in the second quarter. Backup Bobby Hebert was summoned off the bench and the afternoon looked bleak.

But Hebert, who had once quarterbacked playoff teams in New Orleans, played well. He went 17/27 for 197 yards, getting all of the key receivers involved. Andersen hit a couple of long field goals. Hebert connected with Mathis on a short touchdown pass. The Falcons took a 22-21 lead.

San Francisco kicked a pair of field goals, and the game came down to a final drive. Atlanta crossed midfield. Hebert went up to Mathis for a 37-yard touchdown strike. The Falcons had pulled out a 28-27 win. Atlanta’s victory shocked the NFL world, allowed Dallas to take the 1-seed and paved the way for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. It was historic. But from the perspective of the Falcons, it was sufficient that this win simply got them into the postseason.

Atlanta went up to Green Bay for the early Sunday afternoon game on Wild-Card Weekend. Brett Favre had led the Packers to their first division title in 23 years and the  Falcons were a 9 ½ point underdog. George was healthy enough to play and he hit Metcalf with a 65-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring.

George would make his share of plays in the passing game, going 30/54 for 366 yards. But he also threw a pair of interceptions, while Favre played a clean game. The Falcons were outrushed 117-21. By the second quarter, they trailed 27-10 and ended up losing 37-20.

It still looked to be a breakout year for Jones and the wide-open passing game. But appearances in this case were deceiving. Atlanta promptly collapsed to 3-13 in 1996. The 1995 campaign was the high point of Jones’ three-year tenure.