| Team: | Atlanta Falcons |
| Year: | 1991 |
| Record: | 10–6 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC West |
| Owner: | Rankin Smith |
| Coach: | Jerry Glanville |
| Stadium: | Fulton County Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Won wild card playoffs (at Saints) 27–20 Lost divisional playoffs (at Redskins) 7–24 |
| Shortnavlink: | Falcons seasons |
The Atlanta Falcons season was the team's 26th season in the National Football League (NFL). It was also the final season they played at Fulton County Stadium, before moving into the Georgia Dome the following season. The season would be the most successful Atlanta had compiled in almost a decade, with the team recording a winning record for the first time in nine years. Additionally, the Falcons won their first playoff game since 1978, by defeating the New Orleans Saints 27–20 in the NFC Wild Card Game. The following they would lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins 24–7 in the divisional round.
The last remaining active member of the 1991 Atlanta Falcons was quarterback Brett Favre, who retired after the 2010 season.
See main article: 1991 NFL draft. The Falcons’ most notable selection in the 1991 NFL draft was future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who was drafted in the second round, 33rd overall.[1] Head coach Jerry Glanville disapproved of the selection and said it would take a plane crash for him to put Favre into the game.[2] Favre's first pass in an NFL regular season game resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown. He only attempted four passes in his career at Atlanta, completing none of them.[3] After the season ended, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers, where he remained for the following sixteen seasons. He went on to lead the Packers to eleven playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and their third Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXI. Favre also won three consecutive MVP awards, and was a 9-time Pro Bowler during his tenure in Green Bay.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs. Los Angeles Rams | W 38–17 | 1–0 | Gator Bowl | 66,531 | ||
| 2 | at Houston Oilers | W 36–7 | 2–0 | Houston Astrodome | 52,170 | ||
| 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–12 | 2–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 41,983 | ||
| 4 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 17–20 | 2–2 | Texas Stadium | 53,689 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 3–14 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,246 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 8 | Minnesota Vikings | L 19–20 | 0–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 50,936 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 15 | at San Diego Chargers | W 13–10 | 1–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 44,804 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 22 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 21–17 | 2–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,615 | Recap | |
| 5 | September 29 | New Orleans Saints | L 6–27 | 2–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,556 | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | |||||||
| 7 | October 13 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 39–34 | 3–3 | Candlestick Park | 57,343 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 20 | at Phoenix Cardinals | L 10–16 | 3–4 | Sun Devil Stadium | 29,804 | Recap | |
| 9 | October 27 | Los Angeles Rams | W 31–14 | 4–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 50,187 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 3 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–14 | 5–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 51,259 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 10 | at Washington Redskins | L 17–56 | 5–5 | RFK Stadium | 52,461 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 43–7 | 6–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 41,274 | Recap | |
| 13 | November 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 23–20 (OT) | 7–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 1 | Green Bay Packers | W 35–31 | 8–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 43,270 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 8 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 31–14 | 9–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 35,315 | Recap | |
| 16 | December 15 | Seattle Seahawks | W 26–13 | 10–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,834 | Recap | |
| 17 | December 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 27–31 | 10–6 | Texas Stadium | 60,962 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
Falcons quarterback Chris Miller completed the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2:41 left in the contest. Miller completed 18 out of 30 passes for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns.
During their regular season meeting, Washington defeated Atlanta 56–17, with quarterback Mark Rypien throwing for 446 yards and 6 touchdowns. In this game the score was closer, but the result was still the same.
Under rainy and muddy conditions, the Redskins forced six turnovers, held the ball for over 36 minutes, and scored two touchdowns in a span of 3:11 in the second quarter.