Falcons Plummet in Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

The Atlanta Falcons were blown out in Week 2 by the Carolina Panthers. Poor quarterback play doomed them from the start, with third-stringer Cooper Rush turning the ball over on each of the offense’s first possessions, leading to a five-turnover day for the Falcons.

Fortunately, the Falcons announced Monday that Michael Penix Jr. would be activated and start in Green Bay on Thursday. They sure need him.

The offense has scored just 16 points so far this season, and they are the only team in the NFL that hasn't taken a single red zone snap in 2026.

Defensively, they will need to navigate the loss of A.J. Terrell Jr. after it was announced Tuesday that he would be placed on injured reserve. Jeff Ulbrich’s unit did all it could on Sunday against Carolina, but they soon fell apart in the second half after the offense couldn’t sustain drives.

Elsewhere in the division, the Browns topped the Buccaneers in a sloppy game in Tampa, while the upstart Saints traveled to Baltimore and took down the Ravens.

The divisional beatdown dropped the Falcons in the NFL’s weekly power rankings across several platforms. Falcons OnSI pulled the results from those sites and put them all in one place for fans. See below to see where the Falcons land compared with their division rivals.

Sports Illustrated – No. 31 (down two spots)

SI dropped the Falcons two spots to No. 31, only ahead of the Miami Dolphins, after their disastrous home opener against the Panthers. Conor Orr’s two-sentence take on the franchise’s issues focused on the availability of Michael Penix Jr., who returns this Thursday.

Elsewhere in the South, SI ranks the Saints No. 14 (up six spots), the Panthers No. 20 (up two spots), and the Buccaneers No. 27 (down six spots).

CBS – No. 30 (down one spot)

Pete Prisco isn't much lower on the Falcons, but that doesn’t say much. He dropped the Falcons down to No. 30, ahead of only the Titans and Dolphins, and leapfrogged the Browns. Yikes.

Elsewhere in the South, CBS ranks the Saints No. 18 (up five spots), the Panthers No. 20 (up five spots), and the Buccaneers No. 21 (down three spots).

NFL.com – No. 31 (down three spots)

Like SI, the NFL’s Nick Shook sees the Falcons as the NFC’s worst football team. He called the quarterback situation “nightmarish,” saying it has “handcuffed” the rest of the offense – which it undoubtedly has. The return of Penix, he says, should make them “somewhat respectable.”

The Falcons clearly have a lot of ground to make up in the national media's eyes.

Elsewhere in the South, NFL.com ranks the Saints No. 14 (up seven spots), the Panthers No. 17 (up 10 spots), and the Buccaneers No. 24 (down 10 spots).

ESPN – No. 31 (down two spots)

The Falcons come in as the NFC’s worst team in all but one power ranking, painting a bleak picture of where they stand. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi highlighted the offensive futility with one harrowing stat: they're just the “fourth team since NFL play-by-play was first tracked in 1978 without a red zone drive through two games – and the first in 18 seasons.”

This offense needs Michael Penix Jr.

Elsewhere in the South, ESPN ranks the Saints No. 19 (up six spots), the Panthers No. 21 (up five spots), and the Buccaneers No. 23 (down three spots).

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