Dan Quinn and his team absolutely have to win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, with a loss almost certainly meaning the Atlanta Falcons will sit at home in January. Last week, the Falcons suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Buccaneers, who completed the series sweep in the process.
The Falcons are tied with the Bucs at 6-6, but Tampa Bay owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. Currently in possession of the wild-card spots is Seattle (7-5) and Minnesota (8-5). The Vikings lost to the Cardinals on Thursday night, meaning a Falcons win would move them within a game, although Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta.