NFC Playoff Picture: Falcons chances dwindle but “still in the mix”

The NFC playoff picture is cloudy as 12 of 16 teams have at least five wins. The Cardinals currently own the No. 1 seed and are followed behind by the Packers, Buccaneers, and Cowboys, while the wild-card teams are the Rams, Washington Football Team, and 49ers. The Eagles are half a game out of the last wild-card spot, but the Vikings, Panthers, Falcons, and Saints are all one game back.

The Falcons’ chances are dwindling, but there is still a mathematical possibility that Arthur Smith gets his team in the playoffs during his rookie season. Atlanta hasn’t played well as of late, losing four of their last six, with their only wins coming over the pathetic Jaguars and reeling Saints. The Falcons will draw the Panthers this Sunday in what could provide a spring to rise seeds.

Currently, Atlanta sits as the No. 11 seed in the conference with a tough road to make the playoffs — remaining schedule: at Panthers, at 49ers, vs. Lions, at Bills, vs. Saints. The Falcons probably need to win four of those five games to have any shot at making the playoffs, which will mean winning multiple games as an underdog, but Arthur Smith is a hard-nosed character and hasn’t lost a shred of hope.

“The truth is, we’re still in the mix,” Smith said. “We’ve got five games to go. There’s still a lot of football left. We’ll get back to work. We’ve seen a lot of improvement the last two weeks. We have to get ready to go because the opportunity is still there.”