1987 Atlanta Falcons season

1987 Atlanta Falcons season
Head coach	Marion Campbell
Home field	Fulton County Stadium
Results
Record	3–12
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1987 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons finished with the worst record in the league, 3–12, and secured the first overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft. Head coach Marion Campbell started his second stint as Falcons head coach in 1987 after previously coaching the team from 1974–1976.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1987 NFL Draft

1987 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	13	Chris Miller *	Quarterback	Oregon
2	31	Kenny Flowers	Running back	Clemson
4	97	Ralph Van Dyke	Offensive tackle	Southern Illinois
5	125	Mark Mraz	Defensive end	Utah State
6	153	Paul Kiser	Guard	Wake Forest
7	181	Michael Reid	Linebacker	Wisconsin
8	208	Curtis Taliaferro	Linebacker	Virginia Tech
9	236	Terrence Anthony	Defensive back	Iowa State
10	264	Jerry Reese	Tight end	Illinois
11	292	Elbert Shelley	Defensive back	Arkansas State
12	320	Larry Emery	Running back	Wisconsin
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1987 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office Chairman of the Board – Rankin M. Smith, Sr. President – Rankin M. Smith, Jr. Executive Vice President – Taylor Smith Director of Player Personnel – Ken Herock Director of Pro Personnel – Bill Jobko Head coaches Head Coach – Marion Campbell Offensive coaches Assistant Head Coach/Offense – Jim Hanifan Offensive Coordinator – Rod Dowhower Running Backs – Steve Crosby Receivers – Jimmy Raye Tight Ends – Al Groh

Defensive coaches Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Fred Bruney Defensive Line – Tommy Brasher Linebackers – Chuck Clausen Defensive Assistant – Claude Humphrey Special teams coaches Special Teams – Al Groh Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Tim Jorgensen

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 13, 1987	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 48–10	51,250
2	September 20, 1987	Washington Redskins	W 21–20	50,882
-	September 27, 1987	at New Orleans Saints	canceled
3	October 4, 1987	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 28–12	16,667
4	October 11, 1987	San Francisco 49ers	L 25–17	8,684
5	October 18, 1987	Los Angeles Rams	W 24–20	15,813
6	October 25, 1987	at Houston Oilers	L 37–33	29,062
7	November 1, 1987	New Orleans Saints	L 38–0	42,196
8	November 8, 1987	at Cleveland Browns	L 38–3	71,135
9	November 15, 1987	Cincinnati Bengals	L 16–10	25,758
10	November 22, 1987	at Minnesota Vikings	L 24–13	53,866
11	November 29, 1987	St. Louis Cardinals	L 34–21	15,909
12	December 6, 1987	at Dallas Cowboys	W 21–10	40,103
13	December 13, 1987	at Los Angeles Rams	L 33–0	43,310
14	December 20, 1987	at San Francisco 49ers	L 35–7	54,698
15	December 27, 1987	Detroit Lions	L 30–13	13,906

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
San Francisco 49ers(1)	13	2	0	.867	5–1	10–1	459	253	W6
New Orleans Saints(4)	12	3	0	.800	4–1	8–3	426	283	W9
Los Angeles Rams	6	9	0	.400	1–5	5–7	317	361	L2
Atlanta Falcons	3	12	0	.200	1–4	3–8	205	436	L3

External links

• 1987 Atlanta Falcons at Pro-Football-Reference.com