Falcons Receive Scalding Reviews in Weekly NFL Power Rankings

The Atlanta Falcons dropped a frustrating Week 1 game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping them to 0-1 for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The NFL saw plenty of scoring last week, but not at Accrisure Stadium.

A strong defensive effort that held the Steelers’ offense to six points – at least when they weren’t presented with a short field – was negated by some poor quarterback play from Cooper Rush. After being named the starter late in the week and battling back spasms on Saturday, the veteran struggled to move the ball downfield or complete passes to his wideouts.

He finished with one touchdown on 12-of-22 passing for 143 yards and two interceptions, leading to 14 of Pittsburgh’s points Sunday afternoon. Rush’s lone touchdown pass came on a screen pass to Bijan Robinson, who caught eight of his 12 completions.

It remains to be seen who will take the snaps for Atlanta in Week 2.

But all is not lost for the Falcons, who now head home to face the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. Atlanta has struggled against its division rival lately, losing each of the last three matchups, but a positive result on Sunday will do wonders for public perception of the Falcons.

The Falcons' sluggish offensive performance dropped 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 Falcons fans. See below to find out where the Falcons land compared with their division rivals.

Sports Illustrated – No. 29

SI dropped the Falcons four slots from No. 25 in Week 1, but are they really the league’s fourth-worst team? It’s hard to believe that’s accurate. They highlighted Cooper Rush’s inability to move the offense, which is fair, but it makes more sense given their perception of the Steelers (No. 27).

They fail to highlight the outstanding defensive effort, nor the extreme circumstances the Falcons found themselves in at quarterback. Instead, they said it was more a Steelers shortcoming than a Falcons highlight.

Elsewhere in the South, SI ranks the Saints No. 20, the Buccaneers No. 21, and the Panthers No. 22.

CBS – No. 29

Pete Prisco is similarly dissatisfied with the Falcons’ offensive performance. He dropped the Falcons four spots, saying the quarterback situation “gets worse by the week,” and that it will be a difficult season for Kevin Stefanski to navigate. That could change quickly if the Falcons finally get good news about Michael Penix Jr.’s health.

Elsewhere in the South, CBS ranks the Buccaneers No. 18, the Saints No. 23, and the Panthers No. 25.

NFL.com – No. 28

We think there's an unsurprisingly troubling trend here – the national media isn't too fond of the Falcons right now. The Sisyphus reference feels perfectly appropriate for the Falcons’ issues under center right now, since they started their sixth different Week 1 starter since 2021. Until that finds a solution, whether in 2026 or not, Atlanta feels doomed to repeat this streak.

Elsewhere in the South, NFL.com ranks the Buccaneers No. 14, the Saints No. 21, and the Panthers No. 27. Tampa surprisingly rose four spots, despite losing an ugly game to the Bengals.

ESPN – No. 29

The Falcons’ Week 1 power rankings end with another national outlet placing them in the top 5 of the NFL’s worst teams. However, the Worldwide Leader did throw the Falcons some flowers with edge rusher Za’Darius Smith's outstanding debut.

The veteran pass rusher will play a major role for the Falcons for the first eight weeks of the season while they await James Pearce Jr.'s return from suspension.

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