Falcons defense sets a mark equaled just five other times in franchise history

The Falcons have not had many streaks in team history where they haven’t allowed a touchdown by an opposing team for more than a single full game. As a matter of fact, they’ve only managed that feat five times in their entire history, including two three game streaks a long, long time ago.

The last Falcons team to do it was the 2006 Falcons, who went 2-0 scoring 34 points and allowing just 9 over two games in September. They managed to do it in 1993 (over two games, they scored 33 and allowed 30 somehow, going 1-1), in 1977 (going, improbably, 2-1 over three games despite scoring 24 and only allowing 6), in 1973 (scoring 58 points and allowing just 3 over two games, going 2-0 in maybe the most impressive streak in team history, and in 1969-1970 (3-0, scoring 51 and allowing 9).

The 2019 Falcons have now joined those august squads—they weren’t all august, but roll with it—by not allowing a touchdown in either of their last two games. This will go down as a genuinely impressive one for any number of reasons, given that the Saints and Panthers are hardly pushovers and the Falcons defense was so bad coming into these games. They’re 2-0 over their last two, having scored 55 points and allowed just 12, all of those coming off of opposing field goals.

This speaks to the potential of this defense and a little bit of luck, as all streaks of this kind do. Atlanta’s turned the corner in dramatic fashion coming out of the bye, having piled up 11 sacks and four interceptions in the last two weeks. That may not quite beat the ‘69-’70 streak where they picked seven passes in three games, but in this era and for this team, it deserves nothing but awed praise.

It’s also a little stunning that the Falcons, even with their reputation for defensive malpractice over the past several decades, only managed to do this such a small handful of times. When they suit up against the increasingly inept Buccaneers next Sunday, they’ll have a chance to equal the franchise three-game streak mark and make history for a good reason for a change. Let’s hope they can do it.