Many fans firmly believed the Atlanta Falcons would hold the fate of the NFC South in their hands late in the 2025 season, and that has proven correct... just not in the way anyone thought.
After the top of the division fell flat on its face in Week 17, there is still one team in the NFC playoff picture that has yet to be determined: the No. 4 seed, which will go to the NFC South winner.
And the Falcons are the team that could ultimately determine which team makes it.
Atlanta Falcons hold the fate of the NFC South in their hands
With the Buccaneers losing to the Dolphins, the Panthers could've clinched the NFC South if they could've beaten the Seahawks—but they didn't.
And that is a good thing if you are a Falcons fan hoping for some chaos. Raheem Morris' eliminated team can force the NFC South crown into new hands if they beat the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints in their final two games.
If they lose either of those games, the division will come down to the Panthers-Bucs matchup in the regular season finale. The reasoning is that the Panthers have an 8-8 record, a 3-2 record in the division, and a 6-5 conference record, while the Bucs have 7-9, 2-3, and 5-6 records.
Obviously, the Panthers beating the Bucs on the road next week gives them the division, no matter what happens. However, if you take the Falcons out of the equation, a Bucs win means they split the season series against the Panthers, and they tie in overall, divisional, and conference records.
If the Falcons win their final two games and the Bucs win Sunday, the three teams will be tied atop the division. The tiebreaker would then go to the Panthers because they swept the Falcons, while the Falcons split with the Bucs.
Make sense?
It is a complicated scenario that will also make things hurt that much more for Dirty Birds fans—they would've been one win away from winning the division and breaking the long playoff drought.
Yes, this season, which has felt like a massive failure, would end one game from being considered a success. It makes that loss in overtime to the Panthers hurt so much more. If they had won that game, they would've won the division in this scenario.
It is a reminder just how important every single play is in divisional matchups.