John Rieger – US PRESSWIRE
NFL Power Rankings have become almost as watched as the BCS rankings in college football every year. Every website from sports blog networks to mainstream media sports sites have their own version. The Atlanta Falcons received a lot of love in power rankings lists all over the internet this week, with an impressive 40-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Let’s break down where the Falcons stand in the eyes of the all-knowing sports journalism world.
www.RantSports.com: This Week – 8, Last week -13
The writers at Rant Sports bumped the Falcons up five spots from their preseason ranking. Rant NFL writer Jeff Shull said, “The Falcons looked dominant offensively against the Chiefs and got it together defensively in the second half, holding to Chiefs scoreless until five seconds left in the game and the contest was over.”
ESPN.com: This week – 6, Last week – 10
Looks like the guys over at the four-letter network were also impressed with what Atlanta was able to do against Kansas city. From ESPN blogger Mike Sando, “Looks like the formerly run-oriented Falcons are officially Matt Ryan‘s team.”
FoxSports.com: This week – 5, Last week – 7
Fox only had the Falcons moving up two spots, but they gave Atlanta much more credit in the preseason than most sites. Former NFL head coach and current Fox broadcaster Brian Billick said, “Of all the stellar QB-WR combinations in the NFL, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones may end up being the most explosive this season.”
CBSSports.com: This week – 3, Last week – 5
CBS apparently thinks the Falcons are serious contenders for the Super Bowl this year, already ranking them as one of the top three teams in the league. Senior NFL writer Pete Prisco stated, “The new-look offense is going to be a handful for a lot of defenses. Matt Ryan looks so much more comfortable”
The one common thread in almost all of the rankings seen on the internet: Everyone seems to think Matt Ryan has taken that next step, and that the Ryan-Jones connection is going to be phenomenal this season.
While it’s clear that this offense is going to be much different that anything the Falcons have done in recent history, I think it’s still too soon to give an evaluation that puts them in the top five teams in the league. I think a ranking of 7 or 8 would be more appropriate until Atlanta has shown what they can do against some stiffer competition on both sides of the ball.
Think the Falcons got too much credit for their week one win, or are they on their way up to the top of the NFL Power Rankings charts all over the internet? Let us know what you think!
