FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons have a couple of paths to the playoffs, with their percentage to make it at 10%, according to the NFL.
If they win their remaining two games, against the Bears and the Saints, and finish 9-8, they’ll have a chance to win the NFC South or make the playoffs as a wild-card team.
If they get to 9-8, and the Bucs lose their final two games (against the Saints and Panthers) to finish 8-9, the Falcons would win the division title.
If the Bucs go 1-1 (maybe lose to the Saints and beat the Panthers) and both teams finish 9-8, the Bucs would win the division title based on the third-tiebreaker, best won-lost-tie percentage in common games (5-3 to 4-4).
The Falcons would then drop to the wild-card group, which includes the Rams (8-7), Seahawks (8-7), Vikings (7-8), Packers (7-8) and Saints (7-8). The Bears (6-9) and Giants (5-9 before Monday’s game) have not been eliminated.
The Falcons have the head-to-head advantage over the Packers, but not the Vikings. They would have the head-to-head advantage over the Bears if they beat them next week.
The Vikings and the Packers basically will play in a knock-out game next week.
The Vikings close with a game against the Lions. The Packers close with a game against the Bears.
If the Vikings beat the Packers and the Lions, they’ll earn the final spot. If the Packers beat the Vikings and the Bears, they’d finish 9-8, but would lose out the Falcons because of the Falcons’ 25-24 win on Sept. 17.
The Rams close with games at the Giants and at the 49ers. They would finish 9-8 if they go 1-1. If the 49ers don’t play their starters, the Rams could finish 10-7.
The Seahawks host the Steelers and play at the Cardinals. If they win both games, they would be 10-7. The Rams and Seahawks could bump off the Falcons by going 2-0.
The Falcons don’t control their own destiny. They need the Saints to beat the Bucs and win out. If not, they need the Vikings, Rams or Seahawks to stumble.
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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