The Falcons could know their Divisional Round opponent by late Saturday night

When you have a playoff bye, the only intrigue comes from who you’re going to end up playing. Sometimes you know quickly, and sometimes you have to wait all weekend. If the Falcons are lucky (?), they’ll know sometime after 11 p.m. on Saturday.

That’s because the Falcons will play the highest-seeded team that emerges from the NFC’s Wild Card round, which means if the #3 Seattle Seahawks should triumph over the #6 Detroit Lions tomorrow, the Falcons already have their opponent. That gives them a little extra time to prepare without ambiguity, and it lets us prepare ourselves for the matchup ahead.

If the Seahawks are somehow upset by Detroit—it’s a long shot, but not an impossibility—then the Falcons will draw whoever wins from Sunday’s #4 Packers versus #5 Giants tilt. I know many of you do not want any part of Green Bay, so that would probably create a little anxiety.

Check back for tomorrow’s game, and we’ll have the schedules and other key information in the morning.