NFL: 25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History

25 Most Disappointing 1 Seeds In NFL Playoff History: 19. 1980 Atlanta Falcons

It was a rough start for the Atlanta Falcons franchise. They missed the playoffs in the first 12 years of existence. They didn’t win the division until year 15 in the franchise’s history. That was in 1980, and that year the Falcons exploded. They jumped from six wins in 1979 to 12 wins in 1980. Steve Bartkowski had a breakout season, throwing for 31 touchdowns. William Andrews and Lynn Cain were both great running backs. It seems like the stars were aligning for the Falcons and Falcons fans. It turns out, it wasn’t meant to be.

The Falcons had an offense that was nearly unstoppable. There was no package that could slow them down because they were elite from the ground and through the air. They had a decent defense with their famous blitzing scheme. It wasn’t as good as years past, but it was still good. This all led to them being the best team in the NFC.

In the playoffs, they faced the Dallas Cowboys. Just two years earlier, the Falcons went into Dallas and was one furious comeback short of a major upset. Now, they had a chance for revenge. They were preparing for a shootout, as the Cowboys still had a great offense but an aging defense.

The shootout delivered. It just didn’t end how Falcons fans wanted. The Cowboys won the game 30-27 after scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It happened again. The Cowboys made a furious comeback and sent the Falcons home early.