What Falcons-Raiders means for NFL playoff picture

The Atlanta Falcons face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football to close out Week 15. We break down what the game means for the NFL playoff picture.

Game result: The Falcons’ defense stymied the Raiders offense for 54 minutes on Monday night, holding them to three points and just 116 yards. But Atlanta couldn’t close out the game, struggling with their own offense and letting Vegas have two shots at the win late. Ultimately, the Falcons prevailed to move to 7-7. Atlanta is one back of the Buccaneers in the NFC South and two games back in the wild card race.

The Atlanta Falcons hit the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15. The game is the second half of the Monday Night Football doubleheader and is a critical contest for the Falcons’ playoff chances. The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET and Atlanta is a 5.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Atlanta Falcons playoff picture

The Falcons are 6-7 and sitting behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South. The Bucs thumped the Chargers on Sunday and will remain no worse than a game up on the Falcons coming out of Monday’s game. If Atlanta wins, they’ll be a game back. If they lose, they will drop to two games back. Atlanta has the tiebreaker edge on Tampa having swept the season series.

The Falcons remain alive in the wild card standings. They are 2.5 games back of the seventh place Washington Commanders, and will face Washington in Week 17.

Tiebreaker implications

This will likely have no impact on the tiebreakers. If the Falcons and Bucs finished tied atop the NFC South, the head-to-head tiebreaker would make the decision. There could be a common opponent tiebreaker with the Rams, but that is unlikely to come into play.