2. Tampa Bay Bucs
The cleanest way for the Atlanta Falcons to find themselves in the playoffs is to win the NFC South. You hold the tiebreaker over the Bucs and your path is extremely simple. You must win out while the Bucs need to stumble against either the Cowboys, Panthers, or Saints. The most likely spot will be this week on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys.
While Dallas is all but eliminated from playoff competition, they have continued to play hard and are coming off arguably the most complete game of their season. Cooper Rush and CeeDee Lamb should have no problem moving the ball against a struggling secondary.
The one question will be can this Dallas defense get to Baker Mayfield enough? The injuries in the trenches on both sides of the ball heavily favor the Bucs. Still, there is hope that a Tampa loss could be on the table with the matchup. Winning this game leaves Atlanta's hopes of a division title in the hands of Bryce Young and Spencer Rattler.
While the Panthers forced OT against Tampa in their first matchup the Bucs will be heavily favored. This week is likely deciding whether or not the Falcons have a chance.