Season summary The Falcons began the 1986 season strong by winning their first four games 4–0 start, beating their
NFC West rivals,
the New Orleans Saints, 31–10 in the season opener. They opened at home in Atlanta with a 33–13 victory over
the St. Louis Cardinals. Then, after a thrilling 37–35 win in
Dallas, they beat the lowly
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23–20. The first loss came to
the Philadelphia Eagles, whose strong defense coached by
Buddy Ryan took care of the Falcons 16–0. Henning didn't let the loss affect his team as they beat the playoff bound
Los Angeles Rams 26–14, putting the Falcons in first place with a record of 5-1. Things seemed to be going great for Atlanta, as they were able to tie the powerhouse
San Francisco 49ers 10–10. Following the tie to the 49ers, a five-game slide derailed the season, starting with a 14–7 loss to the Rams, then a 25–17 loss to the defending AFC champion
New England Patriots. They returned home to face the 8–1
New York Jets, where they lost 28–14 to drop them to 5–4–1. The next week a 13–10 loss to
the Chicago Bears knocked them into last place in the division. Their last loss of the streak was a 20–0 loss to the 49ers. The now 5–6–1 Falcons ended their winless streak against
the Miami Dolphins in a 20–14 victory. The nadir of the season came in a 28–23 loss to
the Indianapolis Colts, who started the year 0–13, and was the Colts’ first win of the year. By that time, the Falcons were out of the playoff picture with Los Angeles and San Francisco already in. The Falcons dropped their last home game 14–9 to New Orleans. They concluded their season with a 20–6 victory against
the Detroit Lions.
Schedule Week 1 Standings ==Rankings for 1986 season==