FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons (6-7) took the NFC South top spot in Week 4 and held onto it for 10 weeks. However, Atlanta's four-game skid, which continued with its loss to the Minnesota Vikings, opened the door for another team to knock them off their perch. That's exactly what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) did on Sunday with a win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Falcons' playoff destiny may now be out of their hands, but they remain focused on what they can control.
"It's really about us trying to find ways to get wins and really just focus on us," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "We've got to worry about us, as opposed to what's happening around us, and those are things we got to do. A lot of credit to Tampa; they won three in a row, we lost four in a row. Got to give those guys in our division, a lot of credit.
"It's time for us to reset the page and find a way to go out there and get a win, and it starts next week out in Vegas."
Atlanta will get its chance to face the Raiders (2-11) in Week 15 when the two meet on "Monday Night Football." The Raiders' 28-13 loss to the Buccaneers was their ninth in a row, and Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O'Connell was carted off the field in the second half. While the Falcons face the Raiders, the Bucs will head out west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Falcons still possess a crucial tiebreaker over the Buccaneers after winning the season series. However, that will only come into play if the two finish the regular season with the same record.
Both the Falcons and the Bucs each have just one opponent with a winning record left on the schedule with four games remaining. Atlanta will face the Washington Commanders (8-5) on the road in Week 17. Meanwhile, the Chargers, who narrowly fell to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, are the only team over .500 the Bucs will face down the stretch.
The Falcons haven't won the NFC South title since 2016, when the Matt Ryan-led squad went all the way to the Super Bowl. They haven't finished second in the division since 2019, when they ended the year with four straight wins.
This season, the Falcons' schedule was heavy with divisional opponents in the beginning. At one point, the Falcons took down each NFC South team in three straight weeks — their longest win streak of the season. While the Falcons still have the best 4-1 record against the division, the 6-7 overall record is what matters most right now.
To keep its playoff hopes alive, Atlanta needs to win at least one more game than the Buccaneers down the final stretch. That's what their mentality is — win the next game and take it from there.
"You take it one day at a time," quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "We'll just have to get to the end of this run and see where we stand on Jan. 5, but until then, you just got to play out your schedule the best you can and see where it leads you."
