NFL Power Rankings: Falcons the consensus No. 2 team in the league

Week 12 was another kind week for the Atlanta Falcons, as Mike Smith's Falcons squeaked out a close win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning 24-23.

With the win, the Falcons improved to 10-1 on the season -- a record tied for the best mark in the NFL with the Houston Texans.

Naturally, the Falcons find themselves in the upper echelon of most power rankings throughout the internet. Over at ESPN, the Falcons are ranked second, behind the Texans. ESPN's analysts note that winning so many close games will eventually catch up to them, and the Falcons will start losing close games.

Likewise at CBS Sports, the Falcons are the No. 2 team in the league, once again, behind the Texans. Pete Prisco, like ESPN, notes that the Falcons are playing in a lot of close games -- but he isn't sure if it's a good thing, or a bad thing.

Here at SB Nation, Joel Thorman offers a different take. Thorman ranks the Falcons as the No. 2 team in the league, but, loves the fact that the Falcons win close games each week.