NFL playoff picture: What does Falcons-Giants mean for NFC standings

Game update: Sunday’s win over the New York Giants keeps Atlanta’s hope alive in both the playoff hunt, as well as the NFC South title race. Atlanta now sits at 8-7 heading into Sunday Night Football, which sees the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the 6-8 Dallas Cowboys. Having swept the season series against the Buccaneers, a Tampa Bay loss tonight would drop the two into a tie, with the Falcons holding the tiebreaker.

Atlanta travels to Washington to take on the Commanders in Week 17.

The Atlanta Falcons host the New York Giants in a Week 16 matchup that technically is not a must-win game, but it would really hurt Atlanta if they lost the game. The Falcons are 8.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook, but the line has come down due to big news.

Head coach Raheem Morris elected to bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and move rookie Michael Penix, Jr. into the starting lineup. The line came down 1.5 points after the news broke. The team was coming off a win, but with their playoff chances slimming each week, Morris and the coaching staff decided they needed to move on from the struggling Cousins. Whether it will be enough to survive and get to the playoffs remains to be seen.

Atlanta is 7-7 and sitting in second place in the NFC South, one game back of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons swept the head-to-head series with the Bucs, so they just need to finish tied to win the division. They’re also two games back of the Commanders in the wild card race and notably will face Washington in Week 17. Seattle sits between the two teams, so Atlanta will need some additional help if they’re to claim a wild card berth.

This would impact the conference record and common game tiebreakers if the Falcons end up tied in the wild card race. It would have no impact on the divisional race since they have the head-to-head tiebreaker.