The 1979 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 14th season. The Falcons were trying to improve upon their 9–7 record in 1978 and make it to the playoffs for the second time in team history, their first appearance being the year before. Rookie fullback William Andrews rushed for 167 yards in a 40–34 overtime win over the Saints in the season opener in New Orleans. Andrews set a team record with 1,023 yards, while quarterback Steve Bartkowski became the first Falcon to surpass the 2,000-yard mark with 2,505. However, the Falcons' defense allowed 388 points and the team finished 6–10.
Offseason NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1979 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegePutt ChoateLinebackerSMUDon LukasWide receiverMichigan Tech
Personnel Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 2 at New Orleans Saints W 40–34 1–0 Louisiana Superdome 70,940 2 at Philadelphia Eagles W 14–10 2–0 Veterans Stadium 66,935 3 September 16 Denver Broncos L 17–20 2–1 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 57,677 4 September 23 at Detroit Lions L 23–24 2–2 Pontiac Silverdome 56,249 5 September 30 Washington Redskins L 7–16 2–3 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 56,819 6 October 7 Green Bay Packers W 25–7 3–3 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 56,184 7 October 14 at Oakland Raiders L 19–50 3–4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 52,900 8 October 21 at San Francisco 49ers L 15–20 3–5 Candlestick Park 33,952 9 October 29 Seattle Seahawks L 28–31 3–6 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 52,566 10 November 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 17–14 4–6 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 55,150 11 November 11 at New York Giants L 3–24 4–7 Giants Stadium 60,860 12 at Los Angeles Rams L 14–20 4–8 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,097 13 November 25 New Orleans Saints L 6–37 4–9 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 42,815 14 December 2 at San Diego Chargers W 28–26 5–9 San Diego Stadium 50,198 15 December 9 Los Angeles Rams L 13–34 5–10 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 49,236 16 December 16 San Francisco 49ers W 31–21 6–10 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 37,211 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
References
External links 1979 Atlanta Falcons at Pro-Football-Reference.com