Head coach Norm Van Brocklin Owner Rankin M. Smith, Sr. Record 9–5 | General manager Norm Van Brocklin Home field Atlanta Stadium Division place 2nd NFC West | |
The 1973 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's eighth year in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their previous season’s output of 7–7 and achieved their best record until 1980, but failed to reach a maiden playoff berth due to an unexpected home loss to a Cardinals team that had won only one of its last ten and was playing an unknown quarterback, Gary Keithley. Keithley completed only ten of thirty-two passes, but the Cardinals’ rushing game was completely unexpected and along with six field goals from Jim Bakken destroyed the Falcons after they had led 10-nil.
A highlight for the 1973 Falcons was defeating the Vikings when that team was 9–0 and looking at emulatiing the previous season‘s Dolphins’ perfect season. Despite the Falcons’ success between 2008 and 2012, this was the last time the Falcons defeated the last unbeaten NFL team until they defeated the 14-0 Carolina Panthers in week 16 of the 2015 season.