Falcons Get Questionable Power Ranking from NFL Insider

How good are the 2025 Atlanta Falcons going to be? It’s the kind of topic frequently discussed this time of year as offseason camps are over and training camp is still a few weeks away. The Falcons are a bit of an enigma, a team mixed with proven talent and plenty of question marks.

Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently released his NFL power rankings for the upcoming season and he has the Falcons at No. 18 on his list, barely middle of the pack.

“The Atlanta Falcons are one of the NFL’s more puzzling teams this season,” Davenport begins. “There are reasons for optimism, whether it’s the likes of running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London on offense or linebacker Kaden Elliss and safety Jessie Bates. But there are also major questions—one of the league’s most anemic pass-rushes last year and a relatively unproven quarterback in Michael Penix Jr.”

Let’s start with the defense, which was ranked 23rd in the NFL in 2024. The Falcons spent two first-round draft picks on that side of the ball this year in Jalon Walker and James Pearce, Jr. One can debate the selections and what it took to get them, but at least they threw resources at a defense that couldn’t get to a quarterback if they were paid to…and they were paid to.

Following the draft, Bleacher Report had them ranked No. 28 in the league, so at least one person didn’t think they improved with those two picks.

What’s happening with the offense?

The Falcons do have two unquestioned studs on offense. Robinson and London return following stellar, breakout years in 2024. They aren’t an issue.

What is an issue are the ginormous question marks in Penix and tight end Kyle Pitts. At least Penix is an unknown, the bad part for Pitts is that he’s probably a known at this point.

So, what would constitute a successful season for Atlanta in 2025? If you are a Falcons’ fan and have lofty expectations for this season, you won’t like the answer from your team leader.

“Postseason. Got to get into the postseason,” Penix said recently. “Seeing the Dirty Bird Nest and all the little highlights and fans. Man, they get rocking whenever we winning. So, I definitely want to get back to that. Winning football games so we can have the city turnt.”

Just making the playoffs in a putrid division is hardly shooting for the stars. Baby steps are fine, but at least lie a little bit.

The Falcons 2025 season is anyone’s guess

The Falcons were up and down most of last season, finishing 8-9. However, they did beat the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 and it was a prime-time game for QB Kirk Cousins and we tend to know how those go.

That same Falcons team, however, went into the toilet at the end of the year and benched Cousins in favor of Penix. It was not a good season in the ATL.

“The Falcons aren’t a terrible team by any stretch—they have won at least seven games in each of the past four seasons,” Davenport concludes. “The NFC South is a winnable division. And Atlanta went hard at one of the team’s biggest weaknesses by drafting a pair of first-round edge-rushers back in April.

“But Atlanta isn’t an especially great team, either. If Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. struggle adjusting to the NFL, it’s going to put the secondary in a tough spot. And while Penix showed a flash or two a year ago, he’s by no means a sure thing. The Falcons could win 10 games and the division. Or lose the same amount and once again be an afterthought.”