Falcons schedule: 3 games Atlanta can’t afford to lose to make the playoffs
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons could potentially sneak into the NFC playoffs as the No. 4 seed this season.
For the first time in years, the Atlanta Falcons have some level of hope heading into a campaign.
This has been the most painful stretch of Falcons football in my lifetime. After pretty much making the NFC playoffs every three or four years, getting to four NFC championship games and playing in two Super Bowls, it has been a painfully long time since 2017. Fortunately for Dirty Bird Nation, the Falcons seem to have a roster that could sneak up on some people this year to win 11 games.
For Atlanta to make the playoffs with an 11-6 or 10-7 mark, they have to win these three games.
Atlanta Falcons: 3 wins they need to have to make the NFC playoffs this season
3. Week 17: at Chicago Bears (Sunday, Dec. 31)
This one may not seem like much, but there are a lot of reasons why the Falcons just need to find a way to win on the road vs. the Chicago Bears in Week 17. Chicago could be markedly better than a year ago, but the Bears had the worst record in the NFL for a reason last season. Even if the Bears are not in playoff contention in Week 17, Atlanta might be, and they cannot afford to slip up.
This game is sandwiched in between a very winnable home finale vs. the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 and a road date at the arch rival New Orleans Saints. Atlanta should beat the Colts at home. While any division rivalry game is tough, on the road vs. your arch nemesis with potentially the season on the line is not exactly a situation I see the Falcons thriving in, to be totally honest.
Head-to-head tiebreakers will be important, as could overall conference record. A road win over the Bears could be what gives the Falcons the No. 7 seed if they go 10-7, but don’t win the division. Keep in mind that this team has gone 7-10 in back-to-back seasons. They were in every game a season ago, outside of the road blowout loss to Joe Burrow and those Cincinnati Bengals.
Simply, it’s hard to see the Falcons be anything close to a playoff team with a road loss to Chicago.