Could the Atlanta Falcons have the division lead later today?

In the not-so-distant past, the Atlanta Falcons were sitting all alone atop the NFC South standings as they had just pulled off a heart-pounding win over the Carolina Panthers in overtime while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were stumbling.

But that did not last for long as the Falcons proceeded to lose two straight while the Buccaneers won two straight. This sent the Falcons back a spot in the NFC South standings but could the Falcons take back the top spot in the division before Sunday is finished?

The Atlanta Falcons could be atop the division hours from now

The simple answer is yes, the Atlanta Falcons could be in first place in their division in just a handful of hours from now, but nothing is certain and it would take a couple of things to go right for it to happen.

First of all, and most importantly, they need to take care of business on the road against a tough Washington Commanders team. They need to focus on themselves and let the dominos fall how they may.

Even with a win, they would not be atop the division as the Buccaneers would have to lose on the road against a Cleveland Browns team that does not have their quarterback back from suspension yet. Can it happen? Certainly, but Tom Brady losing to Jacoby Brissett is not something we can count on.

Right now, the Falcons have the same number of wins as the Buccaneers, but the Bucs have two distinct advantages. The first is that they have one less loss since they are coming off of their bye week which the Falcons have yet to have. Second, they hold the tiebreaker due to that blasted game in early October.

Now if the Falcons win, they will improve to 6-6 and if the Bucs lose, they will fall to 5-6. One more win would give them that division lead that they would need to run away with as the season ticks away.