Falcons throwback uniforms, explained: What to know about Atlanta's black jerseys, retro logo and end zones

Teddy Ricketson

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Falcons throwback uniforms, explained: What to know about Atlanta's black jerseys, retro logo and end zones image

Jersey combinations aren't something fans typically care about unless they want to match their team attending a game in person. However, there are times when teams bring back jerseys from their history to pay tribute to how far they've come while bringing an exciting shake-up to their jersey lineup. 

The Falcons are the latest team to turn back the clock in that regard.

The Atlanta Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Week 5's "Thursday Night Football." This is a big early-season NFC South matchup between these two sides.

Atlanta will wear throwback black jerseys, white pants and red helmets when they take on the Bucs. The Falcons aren't stopping there, either. Atlanta is painting its end zones and bringing back the logo it used from 1990-2002. 

Here are all the details for Atlanta's throwback uniforms, logo and end zones ahead of Week 5's "Thursday Night Football."

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Falcons throwback uniforms, explained

Atlanta established an NFL franchise in 1965 and the Falcons played their first season in 1966.

When they debuted, the Falcons had two uniform combos. One was a red helmet with a black jersey and white pants. The other was a white jersey with white pants and a red helmet. 

In 1971, Atlanta went away from the black jersey and swapped in a red to go along with the red helmet and white pants. From 1978-1989 the Falcons kept the red helmet and red top combo but added in silver pants instead of white. 

Atlanta debuted its awesome black jersey, black helmet and white pants combo in 1990. The other jersey combo until 1996 was a black helmet, white jersey and white pants. 

In 2003, the Falcons rotated three jerseys. This was probably their most iconic set with a white jersey, black helmet and black pants. Atlanta also had black pants and a black helmet while switching between red and black jerseys. 

The biggest jersey change since 2009 was their color rush uniforms which featured a black helmet, red jersey and red pants. They had a gradient uniform with "ATL" across the chest as well, but they were not well received. 

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Falcons throwback logo

The Falcons logo hasn't evolved that much since its inception in 1966. The logo originally was inspired by the profile of a falcon flying and flapping its wings. 

It was tweaked in 1990, but it was mainly just outlined in white.

In 2003, the logo was tilted forward, given a more extreme/action look, and was filled in with red streaks to complement the black. The outline was also changed to silver. 

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Falcons end zones, explained

Atlanta has fully committed to this throwback period in its team history. While the Falcons typically have solid color end zones that match their home jersey color, they are going with a different end zone paint scheme on Thursday night.

Keeping with the white paint scheme on the field, the end zones are now a row of diamonds with Atlanta spelled out across them. 

Teddy Ricketson

Teddy Ricketson Photo

Teddy Ricketson is a Digital Content Producer at The Sporting News. He joined the team in 2024 after spending the last three years writing for Vox Media as part of its DK Nation/Network team. Teddy does his best to support the South Carolina Gamecocks and Carolina Panthers, but tends to have more fun cheering on the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, Brooke, and their two dogs, Bo and Hootie.