The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints on a last-second field goal to move to 4-4 on the season and enter a place that many didn't expect to find them in.
The playoff race.
If the season ended today, and we all understand that it doesn't, the Falcons would be the seventh seed in the NFC and the final Wild Card team to make the playoffs.
So are the Falcons pretenders or are they truly contenders? John Fricke gives his three main reasons they are in the playoff discussion.
Falcons record in road games:
"They are 4-1 away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If you go on the road in the NFL, no matter where you're going, and you are winning these games? They do, they continue to win on the road. All they have to do is get their act right at home."
End-of-the-game winners:
"You've had to drive against the Giants, Dolphins, and Saints. In a lot of years this team would have lost all three of those games. This team has an edge, and they think they're pretty good."
Who else is in the running for the Wild Card spots in the NFC:
"Look behind the Falcons, who's behind them? Carolina, Minnesota, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, any of those teams scare you? If any of those teams can make the playoffs, why not us?"
Despite John Fricke's compelling arguments, it seems most of the fans feel otherwise:
