The Atlanta Falcons got humiliated in Denver last week, their second straight loss after a frustrating 26-24 loss to New Orleans. Heading into their Week 12 Bye, the Falcons sit on top of the NFC South at 6-5, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, split with the New Orleans Saints, and a chance to sweep the Panthers Week 18.
Old Falcons nemesis Sean Payton and his rookie quarterback Bo Nix diced the Falcons up like an upcoming Thanksgiving bird. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph had that kitchen stove burning hot as Hades too didn’t he? The Falcons failed to score and offensive touchdown for the second time this season (a Week 4 victory over the Saints being the other).
Reflecting on this second-straight embarrassing loss, the Falcons are free falling in NFL.com’s Power Rankings and have moved from No. 11 to No. 14 to No. 17 the last three weeks.
"It's hard to understate how brutal this loss in Denver was," wrote Eric Edholm on NFL.com. "The offense fell flat after two penalties killed the opening drive. The defense allowed Bo Nix to carve Atlanta up all day. There were rough injuries at positions where the Falcons were already thin, such as wide receiver and in the secondary.
"Even a few calls seemed to go against them. The Week 12 bye might be a soul-searching operation, as it's becoming clear that the NFC South can slip away from them. Atlanta's 6-3 start and 4-0 mark in the division have fizzled, and the four-win Bucs and Saints are just playing better ball.
"This will be Raheem Morris' biggest test in Year 1 as Atlanta's coach, with the Falcons' playoff lives hanging in the balance and only six games left to prove they are worthy."
Some other notable teams as far as deep-playoff juggernauts include the Baltimore Ravens who fell from No. 4 to No. 7 after missing kicks like they’ve never seen against the divisional nemesis Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills and Chiefs switching places after quarterback Josh Allen called game in Buffalo to give Mahomes his first loss of the season.
Explain why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) moved up two spots from No. 16 to No. 14 on an off week, after being swept by the Falcons (No. 17, 6-5), and riding a four-game losing streak? It says something about the strength of the middle class when a 4-6 team is ranked No. 14.
The Saints remained at the same No. 23 spot despite winning handily versus the Cleveland Browns 35-14 Sunday for their second straight win.
The Falcons host the Los Angeles Chargers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 1st. The Chargers checked in at No. 9. They are 1st in scoring defense in the NFL, allowing only 14.5 points per game heading into their Week 12 matchup on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Falcons have already laid an egg against the No. 2 (Steelers) and No 3. (Broncos) scoring defenses in the NFL. On offense, the Chargers check in at No. 18 at 22.0 points per game, one spot behind the Falcons at 22.2.
The Falcons have shown the last several weeks they can’t stop anyone on defense, especially opposing quarterbacks.
They better figure it out before Justin Herbert gets to town.
