The final week of the NFL regular season is here, and the Atlanta Falcons find themselves in the unfamiliar position of not having secured a playoff berth yet.
Five spots in the NFC have already been clinched, meaning the Falcons are competing with the Seattle Seahawks for the sixth and final seed. Here's what needs to happen for them to make the playoffs:
- ATL win OR
- SEA loss OR
- ATL tie + SEA tie
The Falcons control their own destiny thanks to their 34-31 win over the Seahawks in Seattle in November, and head coach Dan Quinn is happy about that fact.
“As a competitor, that’s the life we live," Quinn said after their loss to the Saints on Sunday. "We know what is there. That’s why we are still excited. It’s a disappointed locker room, obviously, because, I assume that now we do not have a chance to win the division. That is really where our mindset has been for a long time. You have to assess it and say, ‘Can we play our very best this week to go where we want to go and to get in and advance.’ That is really where the mindset of the team is at. We will go back and look at our missed opportunities, for sure. Then, it is right back to work, in terms of our preparation and everything that we can do to play well against Carolina.”
Atlanta will face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday with kickoff set for 4:25 pm ET. Carolina beat the Falcons 20-17 in their first meeting earlier this season.
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