The Falcons didn’t play on Sunday, but they still lost as the Buccaneers topped the Chargers, cementing themselves further atop the division. The NFC South, which is essentially the only path for Atlanta to capture a postseason berth, is officially out of the club’s control.
More than a month ago, the Falcons sat atop the division with a commanding lead over the Bucs. A four-game losing streak, in which Kirk Cousins has failed to throw a touchdown while throwing eight interceptions, has toppled Atlanta’s playoff chances.
On Monday Night Football, Atlanta will take on the Las Vegas Raiders as more than field goal favorites. If, for some reason, the Falcons fall tonight, their playoff hopes will effectively be dashed. So, let’s take a look at the NFC playoff picture.
NFC playoff picture
1. Detroit Lions 12-2 (first place, NFC North)
2. Philadelphia Eagles 12-2 (first place, NFC East)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-6 (first place, NFC South)
4. Los Angeles Rams 8-6 (first place, NFC West)Â
5. Minnesota Vikings 11-2 (second place, NFC North)
6. Green Bay Packers 10-4 (third place, NFC North)
7. Washington Commanders 9-5 (second place, NFC East)
In the hunt
- 8. Seattle Seahawks 8-6 (second place, NFC West)
- 9. Arizona Cardinals 7-7 (third place, NFC West)
- 10. Atlanta Falcons 6-7Â (second place, NFC South)
So, here are the two routes the Falcons are looking at — the division and the Wild Card.
As far as the NFC South, the Buccaneers have three games left against the Cowboys, Panthers, and Saints. Tampa will be favored in all of those contests. If they win all three, it doesn’t matter what the Falcons do over the next month. The Falcons cannot win the NFC South if the Buccaneers don’t lose another game.
The Wild Card is even more unlikely. The Packers and Vikings have all but locked up the first two Wild Card spots, leaving the Seahawks, Cardinals, Falcons and Commanders battling for the third and final spot. Atlanta does face Washington, but even if they do win that Week 16 contest, they’ll still need the Commanders to lose another game. That would put the Falcons and Commanders at 10-7, but the Birds would have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Falcons would also need the Seahawks to lose two of their next three because Seattle has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta. As you can see, it’s not mathematically impossible for the Falcons to make the playoffs, but it’s becoming increasingly likely that Raheem Morris’ team will finish with a 9-8 or 10-7 record and still miss the postseason because of a month stretch that included four losses and no touchdowns from Kirk Cousins.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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