Falcons playoff scenarios: What's at stake win or lose in Week 16 vs Giants
By Quinn Everts
No pressure, rookie. Michael Penix Jr is now the starter for the Atlanta Falcons after veteran Kirk Cousins was benched because of multiple consecutive brutal performances in a row. But the stakes are higher than usual for Penix, who enters as the starter with Atlanta right in the thick of a divisional playoff race.
What's on the line for the Falcons in Week 16?
In the NFC South, an awful lot. Atlanta (7-7) is currently one game behind Tampa Bay (8-6) for the No. 1 spot in the division, and a win would bring the Falcons within 0.5 games of the Bucs.
Plus, with the Falcons possessing the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay, they only need to tie the Bucs in order to win the NFC South. Tampa Bay plays on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
A loss in Week 16 wouldn't fully eliminate the Falcons from NFC South contention, but it would make things much more difficult. With a loss to New York on Sunday, the Falcons would be 7-8, and would need Tampa Bay to lose at least two of its final three games — and the Falcons would need to win its final two. In that case, the Falcons would win the NFC South at 9-8.
So while Week 16 won't officially determine the NFC South winner, it will make the picture a little clearer for what's needed the next two weeks.
In the wild card, things are much more complicated. Atlanta is currently behind Seattle and Washington for the final wild card spot. A win on Sunday keeps the Falcons hopes alive in the WC, especially because they play Washington next weekend, in a game that could hold massive playoff implications.
A Falcons loss in Week 16 and a Commanders win against Philadelphia would eliminate the Falcons from the Wild Card.
Falcons fans also need to cheer against Seattle (8-6) in coming weeks. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over the Seahawks, so finishing the season with the same record would give ATL the tiebreak win.
Falcons fans are probably most invested in the NFC South race, but there's a chance Atlanta ends up holding the tiebreaker against Washington and Seattle, which would be massive.