CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder isn’t going to spend much time contemplating playoff scenarios for his team, which is part of a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South standings with four games remaining.
“Obviously for everyone to kind of be right there in that bunch, we know that we have everything in front of us,” the second-year pro said before offering his own caveat.
“It doesn’t matter about next week, it doesn’t matter about two weeks or what another team does,” Ridder noted, adding that it’s about “what we do and what we can do out there on Sunday.”
Atlanta is tied with the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, each 6-7 to sit atop the NFL’s weakest division this season. Of the three first-place teams, the Falcons have the easiest remaining schedule based on opponents’ current records — starting Sunday when they visit the division’s also-ran, the NFL-worst Carolina Panthers (1-12).
The Falcons’ other remaining opponents are the Indianapolis Colts (7-6), the Chicago Bears (5-8) and the Saints.