NFC Playoff Picture: Falcons overtake Saints behind monster ground attack

2023-11-27 05:50

The Atlanta Falcons jumped back into the NFC Playoff Picture with Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints. Here's the full bracket.

The NFC postseason picture received a proper shake-up Sunday afternoon when the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 24-15 in Desmond Ridder's first game back as the starting QB. It wasn't Ridder, however, that led the way. It was the Falcons' dominant ground attack, which accumulated 228 yards on 41 carries split between Bijan Robinson (16-91-1), Tyler Allegeier (10-64), Cordarrelle Patterson (8-43), and Ridder (7-30).

The Falcons and Saints now move into a first-place tie in the NFC South at 5-6. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker momentarily, with another potentially important game between the two teams set for Jan. 7.

Elsewhere in the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to third place behind Atlanta and New Orleans with a loss. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots to advance to 4-8, tied in the standings with the Washington Commanders. Neither team has much hope of a wild card berth at this point, though.

Here's how the NFC postseason slate looks after the Nov. 26 afternoon slate.

NFC playoff picture after Week 12 NFL games

1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
2. San Francisco 49ers (8-3)
3. Detroit Lions (8-3)
4. Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
5. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
7. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

The Eagles have a tough stretch upcoming, including an afternoon game against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills before facing the 49ers and Cowboys (both coming off extra rest) in consecutive weeks. That could shake up the standings a bit.

For the most part, the NFC postseason picture is set. The Eagles could face pressure from the Cowboys, but the real "wild card" is the first-place team in the South division. The Falcons, Saints, and Bucs could all realistically claim it.

NFC Wild Card standings after Week 12 NFL games

1. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
2. Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
4. Green Bay Packers (5-6)
5. New Orleans Saints (5-6)
6. Los Angeles Rams (4-6)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7)

The Packers built up serious momentum with their Thanksgiving smackdown of the first-place Lions. It will take a bit of luck to catch up with the Seahawks and/or Vikings, but Jordan Love is coming off the best game of his young career. Maybe the Packers are ready for a late-season push.

The Saints have serious talent on the roster. Derek Carr is a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback; Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and company qualify as an above-average collection of playmakers. The pieces have not cohered in 2023, but there's still time for the Saints to flip the script and put Atlanta back in the wild card hunt.