It's essentially a two-horse race to the finish line in the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons are both locked at 6-6 with five games remaining on the schedule, and a 9-8 team from the most entertaining and chaotic division in football makes the playoffs. There is a very real possibility that we will see it again. The Bucks exceeded all expectations this season, but the Falcons watched their pants fall off before stepping on a million rakes like Sideshow Bob.
This is much deeper than a division simply tied with five games left. What takes the Buccaneers vs. Falcons playoff race from mediocre to sublime is how bad the rest of each team's schedule is.
buccaneers
- Raiders (2-10)
- Charger (8-4)
- Cowboys (5-7)
- Panthers (3-9)
- Saints (4-8)
- Total record: 22-38 (.366)
falcons
- Vikings (10-2)
- Raiders (2-10)
- Giants (2-10)
- Commander (8-5)
- Panthers (3-9)
- Total record: 25-36 (.409)
The Buccaneers are the closest in terms of opponent record, but if you think a little deeper, this is where predicting how the conference will end becomes very dangerous. Breaking down the remaining games into three categories (likely to win, toss-up, and likely to lose) creates some pretty wild scenarios.
buccaneers
Likely to win: Raiders
Toss-up: Cowboys, Panthers, Saints
Items that may be lost: Charger
falcons
Likely to win: Raiders, Giants
Toss-up: Panthers
Likelihood of loss: Vikings, Commanders
It's been a do-or-die game for both Panthers since Bryce Young returned to form in the second half of the season, but the Falcons have the benefit of playing two games against truly desperate teams in Las Vegas and New York. There is.
The Buccaneers, on the other hand, are the stronger team, but have another 50/50 game remaining on their schedule. The Cowboys have Cooper Rush under center and are showing more fight than anyone thought, and the Saints have been very unpredictable this season, either coming out and having a banner day or doing nothing. It could be either.
This means that the final standings in the NFC South could be determined by who plays better in a common game against the Carolina Panthers, who have a very poor record and currently have the No. 5 pick in the NFL draft. It means that. To make things even better, the Falcons will end their season on January 5th against the Panthers.
It's very possible that the Bucks win against the Raiders and Cowboys, lose to the Chargers and Panthers, and then finish the season with a win against the Saints. This brings the year's record to 9 wins and 8 losses. Meanwhile, the Falcons fell to 8-8 with wins over the Raiders and Giants and losses to the Vikings and Commanders. If they can beat the Panthers, they will earn a tiebreaker with the Bucs and advance to the playoffs, as they also finished 9-8 and won the head-to-head matchup with Tampa Bay.
The NFC South won't need a desperate win against one of the worst teams in the NFL to win the entire division. That's why this division is so entertaining and the most beautiful mess in the NFL.
