2014 Atlanta Falcons season
| 2014 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Mike Smith |
| General manager | Thomas Dimitroff |
| Owner | Arthur Blank |
| Home field | Georgia Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC South |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | WR/RS Devin Hester WR Julio Jones QB Matt Ryan |
The 2014 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League and the seventh under head coach Mike Smith. The Falcons were defeated by the Carolina Panthers in week 17, officially eliminating them from postseason contention for the second straight year. As a result, head coach Mike Smith was fired after his seventh year as coach, after two straight years with a losing record.
The 2014 Atlanta Falcons were featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks.
In this game, Devin Hester would break Deion Sanders's all-time record for punt/kick returns for touchdowns, with 20.
The Falcons were the only NFC South team to lose to all of their AFC North opponents
With the win, the Falcons swept the Saints for the 1st time since 2005 and eliminated their opponent from postseason contention.
Shortly after the end of the post-season the Falcons were investigated by the League for piping artificial crowd noise during opponent's offensive snaps at home games during the 2013 season and the 2014 season. Team owner Arthur Blank Blank stated that he was "angry and embarrassed" about the allegations, and has allegedly acknowledged the validity of the accusations, stating "I think what we've done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong", and promising to cooperate fully with the investigation. The NFL fined the Falcons $350,000 and took away a fifth round draft pick in the 2016 draft as punishment.
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