Falcons Can Make History with Win vs. Saints
The Atlanta Falcons are 7-9, and while they will lose more games than they win in 2023, they still have a chance to make the playoffs.
With a win against the New Orleans Saints and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss against the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons will win the NFC South and advance to the playoffs.
If they do so, they will become just the seventh team in NFL history to make the postseason with a losing record, joining the 1982 Cleveland Browns, 1982 Detroit Lions (both finished 4-5 in a strike-shortened season), the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Panthers, 2020 Washington Football Team and 2022 Buccaneers.
Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Falcons winning the division would also mark the second straight year where nobody in the NFC South would have a winning record, a telling sign as to where the four teams in the division currently are.
The Falcons may not have looked like a playoff team on paper, but they have stayed in the hunt all season long thanks to the weakness in the NFC South. The Falcons have controlled their destiny throughout most of the season, holding a lead going into the month of December. However, by losing three of their last four games, they've ceded control to the Bucs.
That being said, if the Bucs fumble the bag and the Falcons secure theirs, it could actually work out in Atlanta's favor.
The Falcons and Saints are set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday inside Caesars Superdome.
