After a mildly surprising 27-25 victory over the Saints, the Atlanta Falcons find themselves at 4-4 and squarely in the midst of the playoff chase at the halfway point of the NFL season.
While it's possible the NFC's final Wild Card spot could be taken by an eight-win team, many are assuming that it's going to take a 9-8 record at worst to get into the postseason.
For the Falcons to get to the magical nine-win number that could get them into the playoffs, they need to find five wins in the second half of the season.
With nine games remaining, here's a breakdown of what needs to happen:
MUST WIN GAMES (3 opponents): Need All Three!
• Week 12--@ Jacksonville Jaguars--The Jaguars shocked the NFL in Week 9 with a win over Buffalo, but their only other win this season has been against the Miami Dolphins.
• Week 14--@ Carolina Panthers--The Falcons may have lost to Carolina 19-13 in Week 8, but with QB Sam Darnold likely to still be out for the rematch, the Falcons should have the advantage
• Week 16-- vs. Detroit Lions--Currently the only winless team remaining in the NFL, even if they can get a win or two before this late-season matchup, the Falcons will be heavily favored at home.
FIND A WAY (4 opponents): Can You Win 2 Of 4?
• Week 10--@ Dallas Cowboys--The Cowboys were once viewed as a power in the NFC, but coming off their worst performance of the season in a bad loss to the Broncos, maybe the Falcons can find a way in this one.
• Week 11--vs. New England Patriots--The Patriots have been inconsistent this season, beating the Chargers, but also losing to the Dolphins, and with a Thursday game on a short week, anything can happen.
• Week 15--@ San Francisco 49ers--San Francisco has been much worse than expected and with the sight of the playoffs slipping away and a QB controversy brewing, who knows what state the 49ers are in as the season heads towards its completion.
• Week 18--vs. New Orleans Saints--The Falcons just beat the Saints in New Orleans, and this game in the final week of the season could decide the playoff fates of either team.
DON'T COUNT ON IT (2 opponents): Don't Rely On These Games
•Week 13--vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--A rematch of a Week 2 game the Falcons weren't remotely competitive in, the Bucs are likely to need this game for NFC Playoff seeding.
• Week 17--@ Buffalo Bills --Similar to Tampa Bay, the Bills could need a win to secure seeding or placement in the AFC Playoff picture, and possibly an MVP for Josh Allen, will be incredibly tough to stay with the Bills in this one.
Whether or not the Falcons can pull this off is still to be determined, but there is certainly a road map to get where they want to be this season.