Getty The Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers, bumping their playoff chances from 5% to 12%.
Playoffs?!
Yes, we are talking playoffs and the Atlanta Falcons playoff picture just got a bit brighter following their 29-21 Week 14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Prior to picking up a road win, the Falcons had just a five percent chance at making the playoffs but have boosted their chances to 12 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Atlanta, now sitting with a 6-7 record, will need a little help to get there, but it’s certainly doable.
However, the Falcons are not the only 6-7 team looking for a wild card spot. They’re currently tied with the New Orlean Saints in their division standings along with three others in the NFC, the Philadephia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Football Team––the team currently holding onto the 7th NFC playoff spot.
With that being said, the way Atlanta can make their odds a lot more promising is with a win next week over the San Francisco 49ers, which would put them at over a 40 percent chance at a playoff run. But a loss would only dig a deeper hole as they would have lost to all but one team in the tie-breaker.
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The Falcons Have Not Won Back-to-Back Games in 2021
The Falcons have yet to win back-to-back contests this season but on the bright side, they have more road wins on the year than they do at Mercedes Benz––and they will be playing the Niners on the road this week.
They’ll need to enter Week 15 even more prepared than they were against Carolina where they stopped the run, forced turnovers and kept Matt Ryan on his feet.
(The offensive line’s) confidence is building, I thought they created some good gaps for our runners,” Ryan said after the win. “And our runners ran hard. They finished really, really well in the run game. In order for us to be successful, that’s how we’re going to have to do it going forward.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Atlanta came up with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, which is what they’ll need to reciprocate against a 49ers team that features a handful of weapons.
“We’ve got ourselves in a position where we’re still in the mix,” Ryan said. “That’s all you can hope for this time of year. You want to be in competitive games that mean something. Certainly, next week (in San Francisco) is that for us.”
The Falcons Have Been Disrespected By Odds Makers
The Falcons were just a 2.5-point underdog against the Panthers last week and came out on top with an 8-point margin win.
Now heading into Week 14, the opening odds at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Falcons listed as an 8.5-point underdog.
The Falcons are about to face a Niners team that blew a 20-6 lead and trailed 23-20 in OT until QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw only his second touchdown of the game to Brandon Aiyuk for a walk-off victory.
So, that 8.5-point spread seems a bit disrespectful for the Falcons after the 49ers nearly lost to Cincy in an overtime brawl and prior to that, fell to a 4-8 Seattle Seahawks team.
It’s time to prove them wrong, again.
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