After hanging on for the 30-26 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons will return home to play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
One of two unbeaten teams in the NFL, the Falcons rose in major sports organizations’ rankings over the weekend.
Here’s what NFL analysts are saying about the Falcons:
Ranking this week: 1
Ranking last week: 1
Reasoning: “(Quarterback Matt) Ryan snapped a streak of 309 pass attempts without an interception by throwing three picks in a span of 15 passes against the Lions,” ESPN’s rationale read in part. “The Falcons still won despite this, and with home games against the Bills and Dolphins coming up, they could very well be 5-0 heading into a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots in Week 7.”
ESPN’s Top 10:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Oakland Raiders
- Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys
- Tennessee Titans
Ranking this week: 2
Ranking last week: 4
Reasoning: “Atlanta took it to (the Lions) most of the day, and the decisive call at the end on the oh-so-close would-be winning catch by Golden Tate (a call that, by the way, was correct) shouldn't take away from Dan Quinn's squad...” Elliott Harrison wrote. “I secured a lot of flak for not having Atlanta higher in the rankings last week. Wanted to see how they would fare on the road against a viable playoff team with a great quarterback.”
NFL.com’s Top 10:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Atlanta Falcons
- New England Patriots
- Detroit Lions
- Tennessee Titans
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Redskins
- Oakland Raiders
- Minnesota Vikings
- Green Bay Packers
Ranking this week: 1
Ranking last week: 1
Reasoning: “They barely got out of Detroit with a victory, but it counts the same as a blowout. They are 3-0, and we still haven't seen their best football,” CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco wrote.
CBS Sports’ Top 10:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Redskins
- Minnesota Vikings
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Oakland Raiders
- Tennessee Titans
Ranking this week: 3
Ranking last week: 5
Reasoning: “The Falcons are the clear-cut best team in the NFC... It's hard not to be impressed with how the offense has progressed under new coordinator Steve Sarkisian,” Bleacher Report’s Chris Simms wrote. “The running game has gotten going over the past two weeks, and Devonta Freeman is looking as effective as ever. Ryan has been able to spread the ball around to his different pass-catchers.
“Defensively, the Falcons fly around the field. It cannot be comfortable playing against them because of the speed of the front seven and the secondary.”
Bleacher Report’s Top 10:
- New England Patriots
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Oakland Raiders
- Dallas Cowboys
- Tennessee Titans
Ranking this week: 2
Ranking last week: 4
Reasoning: “Matt Ryan and Julio Jones haven't even revved up yet, and they're still winning with a rising young defense and the superb running of Devonta Freeman,” Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer wrote.
Sporting News’ Top 10:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Atlanta Falcons
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Oakland Raiders
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles
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