As Week 17 rolls on, “Sunday Night Football” features the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders in a matchup that will have an impact on the NFC playoff picture. Unfortunately for the Falcons and Commanders, they didn’t get any help today as both the Eagles and Buccaneers won their respective games.

Let’s break the NFC playoff scenarios down.

A Falcons win would help them keep pace in the NFC South race with the Buccaneers. At this time, Atlanta holds the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay, so a win puts them in the No. 4 seed, as both teams would exit Week 17 with 9-7 records. The Falcons can’t clinch a playoff berth this week, but a win tonight—and a win over the Panthers in Week 18—would make them NFC South champions.

A Falcons loss would drop them to 8-8 and into the No. 9 seed. While their playoff hopes would not be squashed just yet, in order for them to make the postseason, they’d need to beat the Panthers in Week 18 and have the Buccaneers lose to the Saints.

A Commanders win clinches a playoff berth, leapfrogs the Packers, and moves them into the No. 6 spot. Unfortunately, the NFC East is no longer up for grabs, as Philadelphia took home the crown earlier today.

A Commanders loss would keep them in the No. 7 spot heading into Week 18, as they’ll still be a game ahead of the teams on the fringe. Washington would travel to Dallas in the season finale, where a win over the Cowboys would help them clinch a playoff berth.

Current NFC standings

x = playoff berth, y = wild card, z = division title

1. x – Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
2. z – Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East champions)
3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6) — if Washington (or SF on MNF) wins, LA clinches the NFC West
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
5. x – Detroit Lions (13-2) — Lions play on MNF, hold tiebreaker over Vikings for NFC North
6. y – Green Bay Packers (11-5)
7. Washington Commanders (10-5) – secures playoff berth with a win
8. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
9. Atlanta Falcons (8-7) — holds tiebreaker over the Bucs

Betting line and pick for the game

The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Washington in this game with the betting line being set at Commanders -3.5 points.

Here’s how to watch tonight’s game:

Falcons at Commanders

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2024
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland
TV: NBC
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark (field reporter)
Online Streaming: Peacock, NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube, NFL+ Premium

Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments!