Slim playoff hopes for Falcons

CHARLOTTE: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan fumbles it away to the Panthers as he is sacked by Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short during the third quarter in a football game on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Charlotte. The turnover set up the Panthers for a touchdown to go ahead 38-0 which held up as the final score. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

By Michael Cunningham

Dec 13, 2015

The Falcons are on the verge of elimination from the playoffs race after losing 38-0 to the Panthers on Sunday but they still have a tiny bit of hope.

With three games to play the Falcons (6-7) are two games behind the Seahawks (8-5) and Vikings (8-5) for the two NFC wild card berths. To make the playoffs, the Falcons need to win the rest of their games while the Seahawks lose the rest of their games.

The Falcons can’t make the playoffs if they finish tied with the Seahawks because they would lose the first applicable tiebreaker, NFC record. The Seahawks are 6-4 in the NFC and the Falcons are 4-6. The Falcons could win a tiebreaker against the Vikings, who are 5-4 against NFC opponents.

The Falcons also would have to finish with a better record than the Buccaneers (6-7) to make the playoffs because they lost both games against Tampa Bay.

If the Falcons and Eagles (6-7) both win out the Falcons would win the tiebreaker by virtue of a better NFC record.

About the Author