Still, nothing is guaranteed until the Falcons officially secure a spot in the playoffs. The Falcons face a difficult Washington Commanders (10-5) team in Week 17 on “Sunday Night Football.” The Commanders are coming off a thrilling, last-second 36-33 win over their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles (12-3). ).

In the regular season finale, the Falcons will face the Carolina Panthers (4-11) at home. Meanwhile, the Bucs also face the Panthers in Week 17 before closing out the regular season against the New Orleans Saints (5-9). At the end of Week 16, the Saints take on the Green Bay Packers on “Monday Night Football”.

The easiest way for the Falcons to reach the postseason has always been to win the division or “overtake the South.” If the Falcons clinch the division title, which they could do with a win and a Buccaneers loss this weekend, they won’t have to fight for a hotly contested wild-card spot.

The Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs before Sunday night’s game, but that didn’t stop them from playing spoilsport and ending the Bucs’ four-game winning streak.

Atlanta now controls its playoff fate. As long as the Falcons win the rest of the way, they will reach the postseason for the first time since the 2017 season. They don’t have to look at the scoreboard anymore, they just have to focus on themselves.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the Week 16 win that the coaching staff would not watch Sunday night’s game together, but would instead take the lead in the Commanders matchup.

“We’re really worried about ourselves. We’re really focused on what we need to do, unlike everyone else,” Morris said. “We’ll let (the Buccaneers) go out there and sweat it out. We’ll go out and get ready for the next game.”