Atlanta Falcons: Which stadium will host more playoff games – MBS or GA Dome?
Since the Atlanta Falcons inaugural season in 1966, they have called three facilities homes.
From 1966 through the 1991 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons played their home games at Fulton County stadium. From 1992 through the 2016 NFL season, they played at the GA Dome and since 2017, they have called Mercedes Benz Stadium home.
With NFL owners always wanting bigger and better, Mercedes Benz will not be the last place the Falcons call home. So the question becomes, will they host more or fewer playoff games than its predecessor – the GA Dome?
During their 25 years at Fulton County Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons played just two home playoff games during those two and a half decades. The first was in the 1978 Wildcard round against the Philadelphia Eagles and the other was in the famed 1980 Division Round loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The next 24 years for the Atlanta Falcons saw them play within the confines of the GA Dome, and host a few more NFL playoff home games. In all, the Falcons seven home playoff games at the Dome.
Yes, just seven. For context, in the 32 years between 1987 and 2019, the Saints have hosted 12 NFL playoff home games in the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
The Falcons did not host their first home playoff game in the GA Dome until 1998 when they beat the 49ers in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Of course, their last playoff home game at the GA Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship game when they embarrassed the Packers on their way to Super Bowl 51.
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Will the Atlanta Falcons host more playoff games at Mercedes Benz than they did the GA Dome?
This might be a weird question to ask at the moment given this team is 0-2 and more than likely not headed to the playoffs for the third straight year unless they have some sort of odd miracle turnaround.
With all the uncertainty facing the franchise in 2020 – head coach, general manager, and an aging quarterback all mixed with a ridiculously young and talented nucleus of defensive talent, the Falcons can go one of many directions.
At this point, the Falcons are more than likely going to end their third year in MBS without a home playoff game, though they went six seasons in the Dome without hosting their first there.
Home playoff games were obviously very few and far between for the Atlanta Falcons. They have never hosted home playoff games in back to back years and have only been a high enough seed to host multiple home playoff games in 2012 and 2016.
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Despite being a low moment at 0-2, let’s stay positive and believe that owner Arthur Blank gets this thing turned around and that the new general manager and head coach will be able to double the number of home playoff games that they had at the GA Dome. By the time the current decade is over.