A look at Falcons’ chances of making NFC playoffs

“We’re one game at a time,” Morris said. “We have a short week. Get back in the lab. We’ve got to find ways to fix things we did wrong (against the Raiders) and try to come out and get another one.”

The Lions (12-2, current first seed), Eagles (12-2, second) and Vikings (12-2, fifth) have clinched playoff berths.

There are four more spots available.

Those spots are currently held by the Buccaneers (8-6, third), Rams (8-6, fourth), Packers (10-4, sixth) and Commanders (9-5, seventh).

The Seahawks (8-6, eighth), Falcons (7-7, ninth), Cardinals (7-7, 10th), 49ers (6-8, 11th), Cowboys (6-8, 12th) and Saints (5-9, 13th) have not been mathematically eliminated.

The Bears (4-10), Panthers (3-11) and Giants (2-12) have been eliminated.

The easiest path for the Falcons is for them to win their remaining games, against the Giants (home), Commanders (away) and Panthers (home), and then hope that the Bucs, who play at the Cowboys and at home against the Saints and Panthers, lose one game.

The Falcons and Bucs would be tied at 10-7, with the Falcons holding the tiebreaker with a 2-0 record against Tampa Bay this season.

If the Bucs and the Falcons win out, the Bucs would prevail as NFC South champs for the fourth year in a row. If the Falcons can win out, they still would have a shot at a wild-card berth at 10-7, but they would have to leap over Seattle and Washington.

Seattle closes with the Vikings, at Bears and at Rams. They also could be moving forward without quarterback Geno Smith, who suffered a knee injury Sunday in a loss to the Packers. Backup quarterback Sam Howell was dreadful in relief of Smith.

Washington will play the Eagles, Falcons and at the Cowboys. If they lose to the Eagles and Falcons and beat the Cowboys, they’ll be 10-7. The Falcons would have the head-to-head tiebreaker.

If the Cardinals win out and reach 10-7, the Falcons would have the tiebreaker with a 6-3 record against the NFC while the Cardinals would be 3-6.

So, while the Falcons’ victory over Raiders was not awe inspiring, it kept them in the race with some reasonable scenarios.

The key will be finding the passing attack they flashed earlier in the season when beating the Eagles, Bucs (twice) and Saints. The rushing attack, defense and the special teams all played well against the Raiders.

“Just get back in the lab and keep working, coming up with new stuff,” Falcons wide receiver Drake London said. “We need to score points. It’s as simple as that. I think we need to be more aggressive.”

The Falcons were sitting pretty at 6-3, but lost four consecutive games while the Bucs overtook them in the division.

Beating the Raiders kept them a game behind the Bucs with three games to play.

“It was a huge steppingstone,” Falcons linebacker Nate Landman said. “It’s always good to vibe after a (win). You can sense that mood in the building. It’s easier to go to work the next day.”

The Falcons aren’t ready to print playoffs T-shirts and hats.

“We can’t get comfortable,” Landman said. “That’s what has hurt us in the past. We get a couple of wins, and then we get comfortable. We have to keep pressing the gas and build off of this as a steppingstone.”

The Falcons are aware of their playoff plight.

“It’s the fourth quarter of the season,” Landman said. “We put ourselves in a tough spot. One we have to climb out of. (The win over the Raiders) was the first step, and we look forward to the next step on Sunday.”

The Falcons have not made the playoffs since the 2017 season.

But first things first, the Falcons need a win Sunday over the Giants to stay alive.

“It’s the NFL, you have respect for everybody,” Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom said. “They are a really good team. They have a really good defensive line unit. I know that they don’t have Dexter (Lawrence) any more, but that doesn’t change. They are a very good unit.”