Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl Wins, History, Appearances, and More

The Atlanta Falcons are a significant part of Super Bowl history, but not for the reason the team would like.

The oldest major sports franchise without a league championship, the Falcons have reached the NFL's biggest stage a handful of times yet have fallen short of Super Bowl glory, and in heart-wrenching fashion.

Following the 2023 NFL season, Atlanta made a number of offseason moves in the hopes of turning the tide and making another run at the big game. Head coach Arthur Smith was fired after three consecutive 7-10 seasons, and former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris — who served as an assistant and interim head coach previously in Atlanta — was hired in his place.

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins also signed with Atlanta in free agency to lead a group of young offensive weapons in running back Bijan Robinson, receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts. Wideout Darnell Mooney joined as a free agent as well, and Arizona Cardinals receiver Rondale Moore was traded to the team in exchange for quarterback Desmond Ridder.

As we get ready for the 2024 NFL season, YouBet details the Atlanta Falcons' past Super Bowl appearances over the franchise's 58-year history.

Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl appearances

Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos vs. Falcons

Date: Jan. 31, 1999
Final score: Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19
Location: Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

In just the sixth postseason appearance by the Falcons, Atlanta reached Super Bowl XXXIII following a franchise-best 14-2 season in Dan Reeves' second year as head coach. The Super Bowl run came as a bit of a surprise, as Atlanta went 7-9 the prior season and 3-13 the year before that.

Reeves had previously coached the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances (XXI, XXII, and XXIV), losing all three, and was set to face his former team in the big game in 1999, a year after Denver won Super Bowl XXXII.

Journeyman quarterback Chris Chandler landed in Atlanta in 1997 after stints with five other franchises and found quick success. In 1999, he threw for a career-high 3,154 yards and 25 touchdown passes on the way to earning a second straight Pro Bowl nomination, while running back Jamal Anderson rushed for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus he caught 27 passes for 319 yards and two scores.

The Falcons defense was a force, ranking second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and fourth in scoring defense.

The team received a first-round bye before knocking off the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round in a 20-18 thriller, then defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-27 in the NFC Championship Game in overtime.

However, Super Bowl XXXIII was far from a close finish, as the Broncos built a 17-6 lead at the half, and went up 31-6 early in the fourth quarter. In what would ultimately be quarterback John Elway's final game, Denver won a second straight Super Bowl title with a final score of 34-19 over Atlanta.

Elway became the oldest player named Super Bowl MVP at 38 years old, until Tom Brady broke the record at age 39 in Super Bowl LI, also against Atlanta.

Super Bowl LI: Patriots vs. Falcons

Date: Feb. 5, 2017
Final score: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Nearly two decades after their first Super Bowl appearance, the Falcons, under the guidance of head coach Dan Quinn, returned to the final game of the postseason following an 11-5 regular-season record, which earned them a No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs.

Atlanta defeated Seattle 36-20 in the Divisional Round, then knocked off Green Bay 44-21 before facing the 14-2 New England Patriots, who were going for the franchise's fifth Super Bowl title and making a record-setting ninth Super Bowl appearance.

However, it was the title-less Falcons who looked destined for a Super Bowl victory throughout the contest. With a 28-3 lead with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, it appeared Bill Belichick and Tom Brady would be heading home empty-handed, until the unthinkable happened.

In the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, the Patriots flipped the script, scoring 25 unanswered points to tie the game at 28-all with 57 seconds remaining in regulation.

The game went to overtime — the first Super Bowl to do so — and New England received the kickoff, scoring a walk-off touchdown to win the title. Atlanta was not granted an overtime possession, based on previous NFL postseason overtime rules, because New England scored a touchdown on the first drive of extra minutes.

In all, more than 30 team and individual Super Bowl records were broken or matched in Super Bowl LI, and Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for a then-record fourth time. He would win one more Super Bowl MVP with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

The Falcons returned to the postseason in 2017 after a 10-6 mark in the regular season and beat the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 in the Wild Card Round. The next game, Atlanta fell 15-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles, who would go on to defeat the Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII.

Atlanta has not reached the playoffs since the 2017 NFL season and has failed to record a winning season in the last six years.