The Falcons control their postseason destiny again following Sunday’s results, but there’s still no room to breath. Both Atlanta and Tampa Bay boast an 8-7 record, and while the Falcons own the tiebreaker, they also have the more difficult schedule down the stretch.
The Bucs have the Panthers and Saints left. The Falcons will travel to Washington to take on the Commanders in a primetime affair before returning home for a season finale against the Panthers. Tampa Bay will be favored over Carolina and New Orleans, but they’ll need Atlanta to fall to Washington or Carolina to win the division.
Win, and you’re in; it’s that simple for the Falcons and Michael Penix Jr., but Dan Graziano of ESPN doesn’t believe the rookie will lead the Falcons to a postseason berth for the first time since 2017.
“I recognize that at this point, all the Falcons have to do is win their last two games to become division champs. I just don’t fully trust them to do it. Washington just beat the Eagles, and Carolina is playing hard despite having been eliminated for some time. And Tampa Bay, regardless of a bad loss Sunday night in Dallas, has been playing much better than Atlanta over the past month and is likely to be favored in both of its remaining games.
Tampa Bay has won this division three years in a row and is determined to keep it from the team everyone crowned in the offseason after it signed Cousins and drafted Penix. The Falcons let this slip away after a four-game losing streak that preceded their Week 15 victory over the Raiders and Sunday’s win over the Giants. The Buccaneers don’t want to give it back. It’s easy to feel great about yourself after beating the Giants, but the Falcons’ game next week against Washington is by far the toughest-looking one either of these teams has left. And Atlanta probably can’t afford to lose another one.”
It’s impossible to say the Falcons are playoff favorites with a win over the Giants. New York is one of the worst teams in football, and Atlanta was always expected to dominate, regardless of who was starting under center.
Meanwhile, the Commanders are a legitimate playoff team with the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner leading them. This week will be a much more difficult task for the Falcons, especially the defense, a unit that has shown a lot of improvement since the team’s bye week.
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Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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