Falcons Can Make History with Win vs. Saints

The New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, where history could be made.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 3, 2024

Falcons Can Make History with Win vs. Saints /

In this story:

The Atlanta Falcons are 7-9, and while they will lose more games than they win in 2023, they still have a chance to make the playoffs.

With a win against the New Orleans Saints and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss against the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons will win the NFC South and advance to the playoffs.

If they do so, they will become just the seventh team in NFL history to make the postseason with a losing record, joining the 1982 Cleveland Browns, 1982 Detroit Lions (both finished 4-5 in a strike-shortened season), the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Panthers, 2020 Washington Football Team and 2022 Buccaneers.

The Falcons winning the division would also mark the second straight year where nobody in the NFC South would have a winning record, a telling sign as to where the four teams in the division currently are.

The Falcons may not have looked like a playoff team on paper, but they have stayed in the hunt all season long thanks to the weakness in the NFC South. The Falcons have controlled their destiny throughout most of the season, holding a lead going into the month of December. However, by losing three of their last four games, they've ceded control to the Bucs.

The Next Lamar Jackson? Why Falcons Should Draft LSU QB Jayden Daniels

That being said, if the Bucs fumble the bag and the Falcons secure theirs, it could actually work out in Atlanta's favor.

The Falcons and Saints are set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday inside Caesars Superdome.

Published Jan 3, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.