Not only have the Falcons dropped in the standings, they've dropped in an annual popularity contest as well.
A new Harris Poll finds that Atlanta, the defending NFC South champions but in third place so far this year, is 15th of 32 teams in terms of popularity among NFL fans. That's down from No. 10 last year.
At the top are the Dallas Cowboys, who have held the No. 1 ranking four straight years and eight of the 12 years the poll has been conducted.
Last year's No. 10 ranking is the highest the Falcons have ever placed.
Notable movers in this year's poll:
-- The Detroit Lions -- with QB Matthew Stafford of UGA fame and wide receiver Calvin Johnson of Tech -- moved up 11 places on the list, from No. 30 to No. 19. Not coincidentally, the resurgent Lions are 4-0 this year after going 0-16 in the 2008 season.
-- Two teams moved up seven places – the Washington Redskins, from 15 to 8, and the New York Jets, from 16 to a tie for 9.
-- The Falcons' arch-enemy, the New Orleans Saints, dropped from 5 to 11.
Pro football remains an exceptionally popular sport, with 55 percent of adults -- and 71 percent of men -- saying they follow the NFL. That was up slightly from last year's 53 percent. While men are much more likely to be fans, 41 percent of women said they follow the sport.
The 10 most popular teams are Dallas, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Washington, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.
Harris surveyed 2,462 adults online between Sept. 12 and 19.
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