Falcons drop 2 spots in Week 1 NFL power rankings

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Falcons drop 2 spots in Week 1 NFL power rankings

Falcons drop 2 spots in Week 1 NFL power rankings

Tim Weaver, Falcons Wire · Falcons Wire

Tue, Sep 8, 2026 ·

2 min read

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As we enter Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, technically speaking all 32 teams are tied in the standings and they all have the same chances of reaching the Super Bowl - even with a Superteam looming out in Los Angeles .

It certainly doesn't feel that way for the Atlanta Falcons , though.

With just a handful of days to go before their season debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers , Atlanta looks about as vulnerable as any team in the NFC outside of the Arizona Cardinals - and even they have a better quarterback situation going for them than the Falcons.

According to a fresh batch of power rankings from The Athletic , Atlanta ranks 26th in the league going into Week 1.

"Amid all the questions about the Falcons' quarterback competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. , it's easy to forget that this team lost last year's 15th pick, Jalon Walker , to an ACL tear and last year's 26th pick, James Pearce Jr. , to an eight-game suspension. Tagovailoa will start, but things aren't looking great in Atlanta."

It's certainly possible that either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr. - or maybe even rookie Jack Strand - could surprise us all and establish themselves as the Falcons' franchise quarterback with a strong season. On paper it definitely looks like a remote possibility, though.

On the other side of the ball, Atlanta's pass rush, which ranked second in the NFL in sacks last year, is likely to take a huge step back with Jalon Walker out for the season and James Pearce Jr. suspended for half of it.

This is still probably the most-talented roster in the NFC South, but winning the league's weakest division looks like a hell of a challenge given this team's limitations going into the season.