Atlanta Falcons: NFC Power Rankings, Week 14

The St. Louis Rams are the worst team in the NFC this week. Their offense is the worst in football and the defense isn’t great anymore either. St. Louis has lost five straight games after starting the year 4-3. Getting beat at home 27-3 by division rival Arizona does not bode well for the future of this franchise.

That was a save-your-job type of game for head coach Jeff Fisher. The product on the field isn’t satisfactory and owner Stan Kroenke is probably going to move this team in a year or two to Los Angeles. A new coaching staff is paramount for this struggling franchise that hasn’t made the NFC Playoffs since 2004.

Dallas managed to stay alive in the NFC East race by knocking off Washington on the road on Monday Night Football, thanks to a clutch Dan Bailey field goal. He’s one of the best kickers nobody talks about. At 4-8, the Dallas Cowboys are only a game back in the NFC East race, as all three division rivals above them in the standings are no better than 5-7.

Not having Tony Romo hurts this team considerably, but nobody in this division is consistent. Dallas is still a long shot to win the NFC East at 4-8, but a sub-.500 record of 7-9 or simply getting to .500 could do it. The Cowboys still mathematically can do either and thus are alive in the worst division in football.

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Though the New Orleans Saints lost a heartbreaker at home to division rival Carolina, the Saints have lost four straight games and are clinging on to their playoff hopes by a thread. At 4-8, they need to win out and Seattle to lose out to potentially have a shot at getting the sixth seed. That is a very unlikely set of circumstances.

Even after kicking former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to the curb, the Saints defense continues to stop no one and the Sean Payton era in the Crescent City could come to an end as well after this year. New Orleans wasn’t going to play great in 2015, but they are still two games back of reeling arch rival Atlanta in the NFC South for last place.

Blaine Gabbert to Torrey Smith was an unbelievable throw to beat the Bears in overtime at Soldier Field in Week 13. Gabbert can play and people who underplay his athleticism pay dearly for it. The Niners may want to see what he can do next year as a full-time starter.

This isn’t a great team that head coach Jim Tomsula has, but they’ve already hit what I considered was their upper ceiling of four wins in 2015. With four games remaining, the 49ers could get to five or six wins to have a respectable season after coming off one with so much upheaval the year before.

Next: Tier III: NFC Playoff Pretenders