The Falcons could have been close to cruise control in this division with a victory last weekend, but instead find themselves in a three-team dogfight after more or less handing the game away to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers behind a series of missed opportunities and mistakes.
Now, sitting at 6-7 and in a tie with both the Bucs and Saints, the margin for error shrinks noticeably, especially with another divisional game on tap.
The opponent this weekend is a Carolina team who is not having the season they envisioned. Sitting at 1-12, they sport the worst record in the NFL and will not even bear any fruit from that putridness as their first round selection (likely #1 overall) belongs to the Bears.