ATL Standard

The Atlanta Falcons have regained the lead in the NFC South standings following their victory over the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams currently hold an 8-7 record, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after sweeping their season series against Tampa Bay.

Atlanta had previously led the division for ten consecutive weeks before a four-game losing streak allowed Tampa Bay to take over. With two games remaining in the regular season, nothing is certain until the Falcons secure a playoff spot.

In Week 17, Atlanta will face a challenging opponent in the Washington Commanders, who recently defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons will then conclude their regular season against the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will also play against Carolina before finishing their season against the New Orleans Saints.

Winning their division remains Atlanta's most direct path to securing a postseason berth. A victory combined with another Buccaneers loss would clinch the division title for them this weekend.

Despite being out of playoff contention, Dallas played spoiler by ending Tampa Bay's four-game winning streak. Now, Atlanta has control over its playoff destiny; if they win both remaining games, they will qualify for postseason play for the first time since 2017.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris emphasized focusing on their own performance rather than scoreboard watching other teams' results. "We're really worried about ourselves," Morris stated after their recent win. "We'll let [the Buccaneers] go out and sweat that out."