NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Falcons rise up after big upset

After beating the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn discussed how much the victory meant to him and his team. The win meant a lot in our weekly NFL power rankings too.

The Falcons rose four spots in our latest rankings to No. 22. That's the highest they've been on our power rankings since Week 4.

Atlanta has beaten two of the Top 4 teams on this week's power rankings. The only other team besides the Falcons not ranked in the Top 4 who has beaten two Top 4 teams from our list is the Los Angeles Rams.

If the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys this week and win the NFC East, the Falcons will have gone 3-1 against NFC playoff teams this year.

Looking back at the season at this moment, losses against the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals hurt the Falcons the most. Neither have played well lately and are both ranked below the Falcons at No. 24 and 25, respectively.

Here's our full NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 16:

1. Baltimore Ravens (12-2)
2. New Orleans Saints (11-3)
3. Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
4. San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
5. Green Bay Packers (11-3)
6. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
7. Minnesota Vikings (10-4)
8. New England Patriots (11-3)
9. Buffalo Bills (10-4)
10. Houston Texans (9-5)
11. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
13. Tennessee Titans (8-6)
14. Dallas Cowboys (7-7)
15. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
16. Chicago Bears (7-7)
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
18. Cleveland Browns (6-8)
19. Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
20. Oakland Raiders (6-8)
21. Denver Broncos (5-9)
22. Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
23. New York Jets (5-9)
24. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
25. Arizona Cardinals (4-9-1)
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-9)
27. Miami Dolphins (3-10)
28. Washington Redskins (3-10)
29. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
30. New York Giants (3-10)
31. Detroit Lions (3-10-1)
32. Cincinnati Bengals (1-13)

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