Last week, many media power rankers weren't entirely comfortable with sliding the Falcons into their top fives. After trying the Birds on for size, their apprehension seems to have been justified.
Fox Sports swaps the Falcons with the Saints, the ultimate insult (same record, Falcons own head-to-head edge ... OK, fine):
Don't get me wrong, this is a good team, but last week's loss at Philadelphia opened up a big can of worms. The reality is that they probably weren't as good as their record was coming into that game.
The Sporting News, last week's lowest bidder, drops the Birds from eighth down to 12th:
The defense is reeling, so it's time for the offense to take over for a while with some complete performances.
Fanhouse dumps the Falcons from fifth to tenth, bringing up Garrett Hartley:
Had Saints kicker Garrett Hartley not missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime of Week 3 or had 49ers cornerback Nate Clements slid to the ground instead of trying to run back an interception in Week 4, this Falcons team would be 2-4 instead of 4-2. Sooner or later Atlanta is going to have to thump a top-rated team to show me they are ready to be an elite force in the NFL.