# 2024 Atlanta Falcons season
The 2024 [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons) season was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) franchise's 59th season, its first under head coach [Raheem Morris](https://www.edgepedia.org/raheem-morris), and a year defined by a quarterback change from Kirk Cousins to rookie Michael Penix Jr.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 8-9 (0.471), 389 points scored, 423 allowed, net -34[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2024/reg) |
| Splits | 4-5 at home, 4-4 on the road, 4-2 in the NFC South[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2024/reg) |
| Head coach | Raheem Morris, hired January 2024 as the 19th coach in franchise history after 14 candidates were interviewed[2](https://apnews.com/article/7313ecd026bd052efb2eb7642dff336c) |
| Quarterbacks | Kirk Cousins began the season as starter; Michael Penix Jr. took over with three games remaining after a 1-4 stretch[3](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/2024-falcons-quarterback-position-review-michael-penix-jr-kirk-cousins) |
| Season outcome | Eliminated from playoff contention; season ended with a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on January 5, 2025[4](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/raheem-morris-players-coaches-evaluation-changes) |
| Peak moment | 6-3 start and first place in the NFC South in early December[5](https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/12/06/falcons-vikings-kirk-cousins-uga-sec-championship-playoffs) |
| Notable game | 550 yards of total offense in the Week 5 win over Tampa Bay, the sixth-highest single-game total in the league in 2024[6](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/patriots/fvc6qgwyqlztq1muztpi.pdf) |
## Coaching change and offseason
Atlanta entered 2024 with a completely revamped coaching staff. The team fired Arthur Smith in January 2024 after a third consecutive 7-10 season, interviewed 14 candidates including six-time [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) winner [Bill Belichick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-belichick), and hired Raheem Morris, the [Los Angeles Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-rams)' defensive coordinator who had served as the Falcons' interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season.[7](https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/01/18/atlanta-falcons-head-coaching-search-guide-belichick-harbaugh) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/7313ecd026bd052efb2eb7642dff336c) Morris was just the second coach in Atlanta history to receive two stints as the team's head coach.[2](https://apnews.com/article/7313ecd026bd052efb2eb7642dff336c)
The headline roster move was the signing of quarterback [Kirk Cousins](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirk-cousins), who was recovering from a torn Achilles sustained with the [Minnesota Vikings](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-vikings). The move made Atlanta an early [NFC South](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-south) favorite, but the team then created what analysts called an awkward scenario by using the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a player who might not have played for several seasons.[8](https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/05/07/2024-nfc-south-report-card-falcons-the-favorites/)
## Regular season
The Falcons opened with a 10-18 home loss to the [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers) on September 8, then won at Philadelphia 22-21 on [Monday Night Football](https://www.edgepedia.org/monday-night-football) in Week 2. After a 17-22 home loss to the [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs), Atlanta won four of five, beating the New Orleans Saints 26-24, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 in overtime on Thursday Night Football, the Carolina Panthers 38-20 on the road, and the Buccaneers again 31-26, before a 27-21 home win over the Dallas Cowboys lifted the team to 6-3.[9](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/falcons/2024)
**The slide.** From Week 10 the season unraveled: a 17-20 loss at New Orleans, a 6-38 defeat at Denver, a 13-17 home loss to the [Los Angeles Chargers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-chargers) after the Week 12 bye, and a 21-42 loss at Minnesota left Atlanta at 6-7. The offense, including kicker [Younghoe Koo](https://www.edgepedia.org/younghoe-koo), was described as abysmal during the three-game losing streak that followed the 6-3 start.[9](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/falcons/2024) • [5](https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/12/06/falcons-vikings-kirk-cousins-uga-sec-championship-playoffs)
**The Penix switch.** With the team at 7-7 and playoff hopes in jeopardy, the Falcons turned to [Michael Penix Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-penix-jr) with three games remaining, the third consecutive season with an in-season switch at quarterback. In his first career start, Penix led a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants on December 22, and with Tampa Bay losing at Dallas, Atlanta reclaimed first place in the NFC South with two weeks left.[3](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/2024-falcons-quarterback-position-review-michael-penix-jr-kirk-cousins) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/b0eb0dd8d0d06c041460f7242efcc771)
The season then closed with two losses: 24-30 in overtime at Washington on December 29, and a 38-44 overtime home loss to the Panthers on January 5, 2025, ending the year at 8-9 and out of the postseason.[9](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/falcons/2024) • [4](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/raheem-morris-players-coaches-evaluation-changes)
## Team performance
Atlanta's offense was effective for much of the season, ranking seventh in the league in EPA per play, while Cousins ranked eighth in passing grade from Week 4 onward as he settled in after the Achilles tear. The defense was the limiting factor; analysts noted the team was unlikely to stop opposing units well, which capped its ceiling even in a playoff scenario.[11](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-evaluating-the-danger-level-of-the-current-2024-nfl-playoff-field) The team's 4-2 division record was its best split, and the 389 points scored against 423 allowed produced a net point differential of -34.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2024/reg)
The season also sat within a league-wide rule change: 2024 was the first year of the NFL's experimental "dynamic" kickoff, which raised the kickoff return rate from a record-low 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% league-wide while reducing injuries on the play.[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/looking-at-tweak-to-kickoff-other-rules-changes-for-2025-season)
## Aftermath
The disappointment of missing the playoffs, despite a preseason perception that the team was postseason-bound, prompted Morris to say the organization would "evaluate everything" and that "2025 starts today."[4](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/raheem-morris-players-coaches-evaluation-changes) • [13](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/column-the-2024-atlanta-falcons-were-perceived-to-be-a-postseason-bound-team-the-reality-didn-t-match) The quarterback situation carried a known price: keeping Cousins on the 2025 roster would consume 14.4% of the Falcons' cap space, and Atlanta had used six different starting quarterbacks across the previous four seasons, 2024 being the third with a midseason change at the position.[3](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/2024-falcons-quarterback-position-review-michael-penix-jr-kirk-cousins) • [4](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/raheem-morris-players-coaches-evaluation-changes)
## References
1. [2024 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2024/reg)
2. [Raheem Morris hired as head coach by Atlanta Falcons, who pass on Bill Belichick, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7313ecd026bd052efb2eb7642dff336c)
3. [Falcons position review: Michael Penix Jr. takes over at QB, AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/2024-falcons-quarterback-position-review-michael-penix-jr-kirk-cousins)
4. [With 2024 season over, Falcons already beginning to 'evaluate everything', AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/raheem-morris-players-coaches-evaluation-changes)
5. [Falcons and UGA head into crucial weekend with playoff implications, Axios Atlanta](https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/12/06/falcons-vikings-kirk-cousins-uga-sec-championship-playoffs)
6. [2025 NFL Record & Fact Book, NFL.com](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/patriots/fvc6qgwyqlztq1muztpi.pdf)
7. [Your guide to the Atlanta Falcons head coaching search, Axios Atlanta](https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/01/18/atlanta-falcons-head-coaching-search-guide-belichick-harbaugh)
8. [NFC South Offseason Report Card, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/05/07/2024-nfc-south-report-card-falcons-the-favorites/)
9. [2024 Atlanta Falcons - Pro Football Rewind](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/falcons/2024)
10. [On Football: Falcons and Buccaneers flip spots atop the NFC South, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b0eb0dd8d0d06c041460f7242efcc771)
11. [Evaluating the danger level of the current 2024 NFL playoff field, PFF](https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-evaluating-the-danger-level-of-the-current-2024-nfl-playoff-field)
12. [Looking at tweak to kickoff, other rules changes for 2025 season, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/looking-at-tweak-to-kickoff-other-rules-changes-for-2025-season)
13. [Column: The 2024 Atlanta Falcons were perceived to be a playoff team. The reality didn't match, AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/column-the-2024-atlanta-falcons-were-perceived-to-be-a-postseason-bound-team-the-reality-didn-t-match)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2020 to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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