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On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons dropped their first game of the season to the resurgent New Orleans Saints 31-27 in the Big Easy. The Falcons still sit at an impressive 8-1 on the season but did the loss cost them the top spot in power rankings from experts around the web?
SB Nation's own Joel Thorman moved the Falcons off the peak of his NFL power rankings but not by much, just down to second. Thorman says the Falcons are still one of the NFL's best but they have a big issue that needs fixing.
The Falcons' shortcomings came back to bite them when they needed to pick up critical yards late in that game and Michael Turner was incapable of doing so. The running game will be an issue in January.
It's the same deduction from the top of the heap at ESPN with the Falcons moving down to second. CBS Sports has an identical impression as well, moving the Falcons from the gold medal to silver medal position. But Pete Prisco notes the loss could actually be a good thing for the Falcons.
Now that they've lost a game, they can quit worrying about the undefeated season. They need to concentrate on improving the defense.
The Falcons come home to face the struggling Arizona Cardinals this Sunday. The Cardinals have dropped five straight after starting the season 4-0.