NFL Playoff Scenarios: What Each Team Needs To Get To The Postseason
By Keith Myers
NFC South
| NFC South Team | W | L | T | Remaining Opp. |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 8 | 0 | Atl, TB |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 8 | 1 | Cle, Atl |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 9 | 0 | NO, Car |
Whomever wins the NFC South with get the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and will host the top wild card team in the opening week of the playoffs. There is no way for an NFC South team to get a higher playoff spot, and no way for a non-division winner to claim a wild card spot. Carolina’s tie against the Bengals earlier in the season prevents the tiebreaker situation in this division from getting overly complicated.
Due to the remaining intra-division games, (and provided that we don’t have another tie,) it is impossible for the division winner to have more than nine losses. Carolina can win the division with a 6-9-1 record. The other two teams much reach at least seven wins to make the playoffs.
With that in mind the road to the playoff is fairly simple for each team. The Saints have a half-game lead over Carolina, and those two teams don’t play each other. If New Orleans wins out, they’ll win the NFC South.
The Falcons also control their own destiny. The play both of the team’s above them in the standings. Two wins and Atlanta passes Carolina and ends up, at worst, tied with the Saints at 7-9. In that scenario, Atlanta would win the division because of the head-to-head results. Both Carolina and New Orleans can eliminate Atlanta by handing them a single loss.
Carolina can get in at six wins if the Saints lose both of their remaining games, and Carolina beats the Falcons in Week 17. Unless that plays out perfectly, the Panthers will also need to win both of their games to make the playoffs.
Next: NFC East