Atlanta Falcons: NFC Power Rankings, Week 2

The San Francisco might actually be a little better than we thought.  Colin Kaepernick played an efficient game at quarterback, 17-26 for 165 yards, rushing for an additional 41.  He looked very comfortable against the Vikings defense at home last night.

But the story of the second Monday Night Football game was new starting RB Carlos Hyde, who manhandled the Minnesota Vikings on the ground with his dynamic performance.  Perhaps the organization knew what they had to make former star RB Frank Gore expendable.

HC Jim Tomsula wins a great one, 20-3, in Week 1 for his 49ers in his head coaching debut.  The Niners may not win a lot this year, but did enough this week to move up into Tier III of the NFC.

If the New Orleans Saints need QB Drew Brees to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders this season, the Saints could be in a whole mess of trouble.  Though Brees threw for 355 yards, Mark Ingram did close to nothing for Who Dat Nation on the ground, with only 24 yards on 9 carries.

Rob Ryan’s defense couldn’t keep Cardinals QB Carson Palmer from connecting on three TD strikes as the Redbirds beat the Saints 31-19 in Glendale.  Arizona rushed for 120 yards on the ground and one touchdown in their convincing win over the Saints.

Brees doesn’t have the weapons he once had in New Orleans.  Somebody better step up in 2015 or the Saints could find themselves out of the NFC South race very quickly.

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The New York Giants are a tough team for me to figure out.  They only lost by one point in Jerry World to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, 27-26.  Are they a contender or a pretender?  I’m not sure.

Eli Manning needs to throw for a higher completion percentage in Week 2 against the Falcons.  Manning was 20-36 for 193 yards against the Cowboys.  The he didn’t throw any picks, he didn’t connect on any touchdowns.  For the New York Football Giants to have success in 2015, Manning will need to feed WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Reuben Randle early and often.

Tom Coughlin better have a great game plan for when the Atlanta Falcons come to MetLife on Sunday or his QB might have his head spinning with the revamped Falcons pass rush under Dan Quinn.  I can’t tell if the Giants are good or not entering Week 2, so I’ll reward them for contending with the Cowboys and move them up a spot.

The Detroit Lions let their game with the San Diego Chargers slip out their grips, allowing 23 points in the second half to lose 33-28 on Sunday.  You can’t let a team score 30 straight points against you and keep yourself in the playoff mix.

As I was scoreboard watching, I couldn’t believe that the Lions were blowing their 21-10 halftime lead over the Chargers.  While the numbers both on the ground and with the quarterbacks were similar, perhaps Detroit lacked something in the intangibles on the road.

For the Lions to stay in playoff contention, they are going to have to play four quarters of every game.  You can’t take your foot off the pedal against Philip Rivers in San Diego.  The guy can rally the troops for a comeback in any circumstance.  The Lions need to finish better in Week 2 at Minnesota.  The loser of that game could be two games back of Green Bay should the Pack knock off the Seahawks on SNF.

Next: Tier II: NFC Wild Card Contenders