NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Falcons are 'The Biggest Losers'
It was a weekend of blowouts in the NFL, but no one suffered a worse blowout than the Atlanta Falcons in a 43-3 drubbing by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
No one fell as far in the latest Power Rankings from NFL.com.
The Falcons rose to 20th after a road win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, but they came crashing back down to 27th after being comprehensively dominated by the Dallas Cowboys.
NFL.com's Dan Hanzus was unforgiving after the Falcons had moved into a playoff spot with their win over the Saints.
"We were outcoached and outplayed." There’s not much else Arthur Smith could say after an embarrassing 43-3 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday at Jerrah World. One week after a gritty win over the Saints that gave credence to the thought that Atlanta could be a playoff team, the Falcons looked completely out of their depth against a conference superpower Dallas team that was in a foul mood after its own blowout loss a week earlier. Matt Ryan threw for a measly 117 yards, Cordarrelle Patterson exited with an ankle injury, and the Cowboys scored four consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 36-3 lead into the tunnel at halftime. It was as demoralizing as a loss gets, but the page turns fast in the NFL. Up next: The surging Patriots on Thursday night. - Dan Hanzus, NFL.com
The Denver Broncos had a similar fate in the Power Rankings, falling six spots to 23, after looking like contenders in Week 10 blowing out the Cowboys. Denver came crashing back down to earth after a 30-13 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles who entered the game 3-6.
The Patriots are next up for the Falcons. New England is coming off a 45-7 win over the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland dropped just two spots from 10 to 12 after being humiliated by the Patriots, while the Patriots cracked the top 10 at No. 8 after their fourth consecutive victory.
The Falcons will have their work cut out for them on Thursday night against New England. They are 6.5 point underdogs at home according to SI Sports Book.
If the Falcons are going to pull off the upset, they'll likely have to do it without their best player as Cordarrelle Patterson could miss several weeks with an ankle injury.
