Falcons schedule: 3 games Atlanta can’t afford to lose to make the playoffs

Week 12: vs. New Orleans Saints (Sunday, Nov. 26)

You can’t get swept by the New Orleans Saints two years in a row, guys. I’m sorry. Just figure it out. While the NFC South has never been more wide open than it is now, one could easily argue for the Saints to be the team to beat because they have the best quarterback in former Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr coming over in his free agency. The Falcons must split with them.

With the Week 12 matchup at The Benz coming after a bye and two weeks after what should be a very winnable road game at the Arizona Cardinals, the Falcons cannot come out flat in this one. After this game, they have a road date at Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets in Week 13, followed up by another gotta-have-it game vs. Baker Mayfield’s sinking Tampa Bay Buccaneers come Week 14.

Ultimately, the Falcons probably need to go 4-2 in NFC South play to win the division. That would require a sweep of either the Buccaneers or the Carolina Panthers. While those are not exactly impossibilities, it is going to be so difficult to see Atlanta win the division with a 10-7 record if they have a pair of losses to the Saints on the year. It is at home after a bye, so they must be prepared.

No team is good enough to go 5-1 or better in NFC South play, so 4-2 has to be the winning mark.