Even after losing to the Washington Commanders in heartbreaking fashion, the Falcons are still alive in the playoff race. Atlanta is the lone team alive with their loss to Washington helping eliminate the Seattle Seahawks. What Atlanta's loss to the Commanders did is take away any divisional control and left them counting on a hated division rival.
Atlanta's path into the playoffs is simple, the New Orleans Saints must find a way to upset Tampa Bay. If the Saints beat Tampa and the Falcons take care of business in Carolina, the Falcons will host a first round wildcard game. While this keeps the Falcons alive it is extremely unlikely when you consider how poorly New Orleans has played in recent weeks.
Atlanta's playoff hopes are left in the hands of the New Orleans Saints
It seems a fitting way to end Atlanta's 2024 season with their playoff hopes now in the hands of their most hated rival. New Orleans doing Atlanta a favor is as close to impossible of a scenario as one could create. In reality, Atlanta's loss to Washington was an elimination with only a long shot win putting them back into the playoff picture.
Despite another season of frustration at least Atlanta now has the hope of having found a franchise quarterback. Two games are far from enough to crown Penix, however, there is no denying how exciting the young rookie is.
Penix can make every needed throw and has shown impressive poise for a rookie. Add in the growing chemistry with his star weapons and there is every reason to believe in drastic improvement. With Penix starting from Week 1 this team is winning 10-11 games and already locking up the NFC South. A frustrating take that points to how poorly Atlanta managed this past offseason. Still, with playoff hopes still having a pulse and the team's future looking increasingly bright, there is reason for hope.