Falcons Eliminated From Playoffs Following Loss vs. Ravens

The Atlanta Falcons will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 24, 2022

The Atlanta Falcons have officially punched their ticket ... to the couch this postseason.

Following the team's loss Saturday afternoon against the Baltimore Ravens, coupled with wins by the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, the team cannot win the NFC South and are eliminated from playoff contention.

The Saints pulled out a gutsy win on the road in snowy conditions against the Cleveland Browns, while the Panthers ran all over the Detroit Lions at home.

The Falcons were never expected to compete for a playoff spot this season, rebuilding with Marcus Mariota under center ahead of rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder, but Atlanta proved to be a competitive team all season long.

Sitting at .500 halfway through the season gave the team hope to be one of the biggest upsets in this year's playoff picture, but Atlanta has lost five of its last six and regressed to the bottom of the NFC South standings.

Now, the Falcons can shift their entire focus towards Ridder's development as a rookie in the final two games of the season before having to make a decision in the offseason on whether or not he should be under center in 2023.

That all begins on New Year's Day when the Arizona Cardinals come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Published Dec 24, 2022

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.