'Mediocrity!' Falcons Land in Middle of Week 17 NFL Power Rankings
The Atlanta Falcons are coming off one of their more impressive showings of the year on Christmas Eve, taking down the Indianapolis Colts 29-10 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
That win only serves as Atlanta's seventh of the season, but they still took a jump in the latest set of NFL power rankings released on Tuesday by USA Today. The Falcons come in at No. 16 on the list.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) passing against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
"If this seems like a massive leap for this team … well, sort of. It's more indicative of how tightly packed the league-wide mediocrity is," USA Today writes. "But let's acknowledge QB Taylor Heinicke, who's fresh off leading the Falcons to a season-high 29 points in a crucial win."
In the current NFC playoff race, things don't look very promising for Atlanta as it currently holds the No. 11 spot in the conference out of 12 teams still eligible for the postseason. According to NFL.com, the Falcons currently have a 10 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, and those odds would climb to 17 percent with a win this week.
A loss, however, dips those chances down to five percent.
The Falcons are scheduled to face the current No. 12 team in the NFC on Sunday in the form of the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on CBS.
