The Falcons were handed their third loss of the season and their first at home as they fell to the New Orleans Saints 17-14 in Atlanta. Their loss opens up the door for the Bears, Eagles & the Saints to possibly grab the top seed in the NFC. Should the Falcons lose next week, all three of those of those teams will hold a tiebreaker which would put them ahead of Atlanta. The Falcons could potentially fall as far as the #5 seed.
However, the Falcons host the Panthers next week. Carolina has the worst record in the NFL… so unless Atlanta forfeits, their #1 seed is probably safe. The biggest takeaway from the game is the chinks that are now appearing the Falcons armor. By the time the season ends, Atlanta will likely be 4-3 against playoff teams. They will have also lost to arguably the top two other threats in the NFC (New Orleans & Philadelphia). After scoring just one offensive TD tonight, the Falcons suddenly don’t look so invincible at home. Also, Falcons fans can’t have enjoyed hearing all those stupid “Who Dat?” chants from the many Saints fans in attendance.
The Saints clinched at least a wildcard tonight and while they’ve still got a shot at the NFC South, the likelihood is that they’ll be the #5 seed and will face the winner of next week’s Seahawks vs Rams game. That means either the Eagles or Bears will face whichever of the Packers, Giants & Buccaneers get the final wildcard spot.