Atlanta Falcons Shown Mercy in ESPN's Week 8 NFL Power Rankings after 49ers Loss

The Atlanta Falcons have had an up-and-down season out of the gate in 2025, which ironically has led to an even 3-3 record after six games.

They were underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers on the road on Sunday night, and they fell in a 20-10 game in which they were bullied on the lines of scrimmage for the first time all year.

The good news for ESPN's Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, is that they didn't fall after losing a game in which they were the underdog. The bad news? ESPN didn't think much of the Atlanta Falcons to begin with.

The Falcons held steady at No. 20, the second-worst of the teams that are .500 or better right now, just ahead of the No. 22 Minnesota Vikings.

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The free-falling Washington Commanders, who the Falcons beat before their Week 5 bye, came in one spot ahead of Atlanta at No. 19 with their 3-4 record. They're the only team the Falcons have played that has a losing record now that the Carolina Panthers have moved to 4-3.

Team Rankings puts the Falcons strength of schedule at No. 9 in the NFL.

Atlanta gets a break this week, if there is such a thing in the NFL, when the reeling Miami Dolphins come to town. The Dolphins look like one of the worst teams in the NFL, and ESPN has them No. 30 in their updated power rankings.

They're 1-6, have lost three in a row, and their only win came against the 0-7 New York Jets. They did play the Carolina Panthers tough in Charlotte before falling 27-24 in Week 5, and they lost to the Chargers by two points in Week 6.

However, last week it looked like the Dolphins were ready to go on vacation, getting blown out by the Cleveland Browns 31-6. It was a little surprising that former Atlanta Falcons passing game coordinator Mike McDaniel, is still the head coach heading into this week's game against Atlanta.

Having a team that looks like it's already quit on its coach coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium is good for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and his Falcons team.

The Falcons are 2-1 at home and outplayed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their only loss. Penix has a rather drastic home/road split with a 2-1 record and 103.0 passer rating in Atlanta. He's 1-2 with a 66.5 passer rating on the road.

His touchdown to interception numbers reflect that passer rating, with four touchdowns against one interception at home and one touchdown against two interceptions on the road.

The Falcons weren't punished by ESPN's Power Rankings for losing on the road to a good San Francisco team, but they likely won't get much of a bump by beating the Dolphins.

However, it will keep them within one game in the loss column of the Buccaneers, who fell to 5-2 after losing to the Lions on Monday night, and even with the revived Panthers. Winning the games is what matters in the NFC South; the power rankings will follow.