1979 Atlanta Falcons season
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 2 , 1979 at New Orleans Saints W 40-34 70,940
2 September 10 , 1979 at Philadelphia Eagles W 14-10 66,935
3 September 16 , 1979 Denver Broncos L 20-17 57,677
4 September 23 , 1979 at Detroit Lions L 24-23 56,249
5 September 30 , 1979 Washington Redskins L 16-7 56,819
6 October 7 , 1979 Green Bay Packers W 25-7 56,184
7 October 14 , 1979 at Oakland Raiders L 50-19 52,900
8 October 21 , 1979 at San Francisco 49ers L 20-15 33,952
9 October 29 , 1979 Seattle Seahawks L 31-28 52,566
10 November 4 , 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 17-14 55,150
11 November 11 , 1979 at New York Giants L 24-3 60,860
12 November 19 , 1979 at Los Angeles Rams L 20-14 54,097
13 November 25 , 1979 New Orleans Saints L 37-6 42,815
14 December 2 , 1979 at San Diego Chargers W 28-26 50,198
15 December 9 , 1979 Los Angeles Rams L 34-13 49,236
16 December 16 , 1979 San Francisco 49ers W 31-21 37,211
Regular season -- Schedule
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 club 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 in a 6-10 start.