Atlanta Falcons: NFC Power Rankings, Week 11
By John Buhler
Nov 15, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; A Seattle Seahawks fan holds his head late in the fourth quarter in a game against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field. The Cardinals won 39-32. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
54. . . Previous: . Philadelphia Eagles. 12. team
With QB Sam Bradford out for at least two weeks with a concussion suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, will the Philadelphia Eagles soar with Mark Sanchez under center or plummet in Bradford’s absence? Their defense is actually solid, but the offensive game plan of HC Chip Kelly isn’t getting it done in 2015.
Chip Kelly has guided the Eagles to back-to-back 10-6 seasons in the NFC East. He’d have to coach almost perfectly (6-1) for that to happen in 2015. 8-8 could win the NFC East with New York in the driver’s seat at 5-5, but if Philly wants a shot at a Wild Card berth, they will have to finish no worse than 9-7. Even then, the Atlanta Falcons would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Eagles.
11. team. 48. . . Previous: . Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What Tampa Bay did in Week 10 was nothing spectacular, but it proved that the Bucs can beat teams that they should at home, as they knocked off Dallas at Raymond James to move to 4-5. Two of their wins come in the NFC South on the road nonetheless (@New Orleans, @Atlanta). However, the Bucs do have two bad losses to Tennessee and Houston, which can only hurt the club at this point.
The pieces in Tampa Bay could keep the Buccaneers’ ship afloat for a bit longer, but this team still has a 7-9 ceiling in 2015. That’s no knock on the team, as they finished 2-14 in 2014. However, 7-9 isn’t good enough to make the playoffs in 2015. That could have won the NFC South last year and maybe the AFC South this year, but Tampa has to continue to prove doubters wrong if they want to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
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. Previous: . Seattle Seahawks. 10. team. 36.
This is not a Super Bowl contending team anymore. The 2015 Seattle Seahawks need some serious help if they want to get back in the NFC Playoffs. Though they are at 4-5 and only two games back of Atlanta and Green Bay, they’ve lost the tiebreaker to the Packers and won’t get the opportunity to face the Falcons.
While the Seahawks haven’t lost to a bad team in 2015 (Rams, Packers, Bengals, Panthers, Cardinals), they haven’t exactly beaten anybody great either (Bears, Lions, 49ers, Cowboys). If forcing the Bears to punt 10 times in Week 3 at home was your best win in 2015, then you probably aren’t a playoff team.
. Previous: . St. Louis Rams. 9. team. 51.
Outside of RB Todd Gurley, this St. Louis Rams offense is disastrous. This team continues to have great difficulty moving the ball aerially against just about anybody. St. Louis is still somewhat relevant for three reasons: Todd Gurley, the defense, and that the Rams know how to win NFC West games.
Even though they did beat the Cardinals earlier in the year, the defense has to play at an “all-time great” level to counterbalance the ineptitude of the Rams’ poor passing game. What does help this club is that the three things they are strong at can keep them alive in the playoff race, even if the rest of their team is holding them back.
Next: Tier II: NFC Wild Card Contenders