Falcons Get Some Help But Not Against Division Rival in Week 12

Some Week 12 results benefitted the Atlanta Falcons, but the NFC South standings tightened after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It doesn't get much better than watching upsets while off on a bye week. But not all the right upsets occurred for the Atlanta Falcons.

While AFC division leaders -- the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans -- suffered losses to 2-win teams, the NFC playoff contenders mostly held serve. The Washington Commanders were the main exception.

The Arizona Cardinals also fell on the road to the Seattle Seahawks. That could be very key to seeding for the Falcons, but the team Atlanta really wanted to lose -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- were not challenged Sunday.

As a result of the Buccaneers victory, the Falcons hold just a 1-game lead in the NFC South with six weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Buccaneers cruised to a 30-7 road victory against the New York Giants. Tampa Bay held a 30-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Baker Mayfield was sensational, completing 24 of 30 passes for 294 yards. Mayfield drove the Tampa Bay offense into scoring position, and then the running game scored three touchdowns. Mayfield ran for one of those scores.

The Falcons swept the Buccaneers this season, so they hold the tiebreaker in the division race. Essentially, that makes Atlanta's lead in the NFC South two games.

But the Buccaneers are 17-5 in December and January over the past four seasons. That's a big reason why they've won the NFC South three consecutive years.

The schedule certainly appears to be favorable for a Tampa Bay run this December too. The Buccaneers only have one opponent with a winning record left on their schedule.

If Atlanta doesn't turn things around, then the Falcons will have to count on teams out of the playoff hunt for help holding back the Buccaneers.

The good news is if the Falcons do fall out of first place, they received some favorable results in Week 12 that could help in the wild card race.

The Commanders are still in the final NFC wild card spot despite their loss. But with their defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, they are 7-5.

Furthermore, three NFC West teams lost on Sunday. No team in that division will enter Week 13 with a better record than the Falcons.

The Falcons can make a lot of this a moot point if they can get back on the winning path. But the standings always look better when other contenders stumble.