Today’s afternoon slate does not feature the Atlanta Falcons, but it features several games that are important for Atlanta’s playoff hopes.
The most critical, of course, is Buccaneers-Chargers. The unbelievably banged-up Bucs have to go on the road to face a good Chargers team that has been scuffling a bit of late, and if the Chargers win and the Falcons triumph over the Raiders tomorrow night, Atlanta’s back in first place in the NFC South. They’ll then be able to hold the division simply by winning out down the stretch, and while that’s not actually simple, it’s better than the alternative.