Atlanta Falcons: NFC Power Rankings, Week 13

Nov 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme (83) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings strong safety Robert Blanton (36) after a catch in the fourth quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. The Vikings won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The prolific offense of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints could only muster 6 points versus the AFC South contending Houston Texans on the road. New Orleans has lost three straight games since their shootout versus the New York Football Giants.

In a week after a bye that New Orleans had to win to stay relevant in the NFC Wild Card hunt, they’ve almost flatlined. One more loss in the final five games and the New Orleans Saints will miss the NFC Playoffs for back-to-back seasons under HC Sean Payton. This team is falling apart before our eyes.

The Detroit Lions have won their last three games and are finally looking like the respectable team we all thought they were at the start of the year. Unfortunately, nobody recovers from a 1-7 hole to start the year.

However, the Lions completely destroying the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day was a great start to the football slate during America’s Favorite National Holiday. The Lions are playing well and could finish the season as high as 7-9 this year. .500 is pushing it. 6-10 seems reasonable.

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The New York Giants losing to the Washington Redskins relinquishes their grip on the NFC East title for the time being. Two straight losses have the G-Men under .500 and looking up at the Washington Redskins in the divisional race.

Though New York isn’t out of the race or the Wild Card hunt by any means, they don’t feel like a team that can go 9-7 and make a run to the Super Bowl anymore. However, the Giants could go 7-9 and win the NFC East should Washington falter down the stretch. The good news is that Philadelphia and Dallas are in worse shape than the New York Football Giants.

And here are the Atlanta Falcons, looking like a playoff pretender with every passing week. Atlanta dropped its second consecutive ‘must-win’ game and absolutely has to beat Tampa Bay if they want to stay in control of the 2nd NFC Wild Card spot.

Atlanta cannot afford to go 0-2 to Tampa in 2015 and start NFC South play out 0-3. The offense has to actually care about the football. Dan Quinn, is it really “all about the ball” in Flowery Branch? Your Atlanta Falcons are doing a very poor job of protecting the football the last two months. Get it together, guys, seriously.

Next: NFC Wild Card Contenders