Despite dropping five of the last six games, the Falcons remain in the playoff picture.
Sunday's game against the Buccaneers has become Atlanta's most important game to date, mainly because of both team's overall records.
The Falcons enter the NFC South matchup with a record of 6-5 and trail the Seattle Seahawks for the final playoff spot in the NFC. The Seahawks' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night vaulted their record to 6-5 and now own the tiebreaker over the Falcons by virtue of having a better record against NFC opponents.
Tampa Bay currently sits behind Atlanta as the eighth seed with a record of 5-6 record overall. These teams are neck and neck as the Buccaneers (2-1) boast a better NFC South record than the Falcons (0-2).
If the Falcons win on Sunday and Seattle loses to the Minnesota Vikings, Dan Quinn's team can snag back the final wild-card spot entering the final quarter of the season.
