The Atlanta Falcons have had a rollercoaster season, and it ended on a sour note. The Falcons needed help in Week 18 to make the playoffs, and unfortunately, nothing went their way. Let’s examine if Atlanta can still earn its first playoff berth since the 2017 NFL season.
What Is the Atlanta Falcons’ Current Playoff Picture?
The Falcons needed to defeat the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 and hope that the depleted New Orleans Saints pulled off an upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers were leading the NFC South, but Atlanta defeated them twice during the season and held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, neither of these things happened. The Bucs defeated the Saints, 27-19, and Atlanta lost to Carolina, 44-38.
It’s worth noting that the Falcons cannot make the playoffs as a Wild Card. That was actually true entering Week 17 as well, but there was no alternative paths for Atlanta to reach the playoffs. In other words, the Falcons have been eliminated from the playoffs.
At one point, the Falcons were 6-3 and held a significant lead over the Buccaneers, plus they had the tiebreaker. Things were looking great for Atlanta.
However, Kirk Cousins’ struggles over the second half of the campaign led to his benching for rookie QB Michael Penix Jr.
Now, the Falcons enter the offseason and owner Arthur Blank can’t be pleased with this team’s epic collapse.