Falcons climb in NFC Standings after bye week
The Atlanta Falcons took the week off as they were given the earliest available bye week of the season. With a number of injuries and enough time to make the appropriate adjustments after their London victory, the Falcons get another favorable matchup against the 1-5 Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
It is still early in the season, but never too early to look ahead and find a path to the postseason. Obviously, winning matters most of all, but you’re not going to win every single game, so it’s important to understand outside scenarios.
Here are the NFC South and conference standings after six weeks of football.
NFC South Standings
(5-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(3-2) New Orleans Saints
(3-3) Carolina Panthers
(2-3) Atlanta Falcons
The Saints joined the Falcons in taking the week off as Carolina and Tampa Bay both had games in Week 6. The Buccaneers are starting to pull away and don’t appear likely to relinquish their top spot in the NFC South. The Bucs dominated the Eagles on Thursday night, even with the score indicating a much closer game than it actually was. As for Carolina, they forced overtime after being down by 11 points, but failed to stop the Vikings’ offense, who scored on their first possession.
NFC Standings
(6-0) Arizona Cardinals
(5-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(5-1) Dallas Cowboys
(5-1) Green Bay Packers
(5-1) Los Angeles Rams
(3-2) New Orleans Saints
(3-3) Minnesota Vikings
(3-3) Chicago Bears
(3-3) Carolina Panthers
(2-3) San Francisco 49ers
(2-3) Atlanta Falcons
(2-4) Washington Football team
(2-4) Philadelphia Eagles
(2-4) Seattle Seahawks
(1-5) New York Giants
(0-6) Detroit Lions
Even without playing in Week 6, the Falcons were able to jump from 14th to 11th in the NFC. However, they’re still a game and a half outside the playoffs behind the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints. Luckily for the Falcons, they will face off against three teams who are outside the playoffs or on the fringe (New Orleans Saints). This is all before their Week 10 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Falcons climbing three spots is due to losses by the Washington Football Team, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. Even though the Eagles and Football Team hold head-to-head tiebreakers over Atlanta, as long as the Falcons win and stay a game ahead, then that scenario shouldn’t matter in the end.
Games to Watch for Week 7
*Odds are representative of team to benefit Falcons most with win
Packers (-9.5) vs. Football Team
Giants (+2.5) vs. Panthers
Raiders (-2.5) vs. Eagles
Buccaneers (-12.5) vs. Bears
49ers vs. Colts (+4.5) – Sunday Night Football
Seahawks (+3.5) vs. Saints – Monday Night Football
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