The Falcons dropped Sunday’s divisional matchup to the Buccaneers, which brings their season record to 0-2 after getting blown out by the Eagles in the season opener. Atlanta is one of seven NFL teams — Vikings, Lions, Giants, Colts, Jaguars, and Jets — that are winless entering Week 3. Arthur Smith’s squad certainly improved in Week 2 from their Week 1 blunder, but are they the best team yet to win a game? Nick Wright of First Things First seems to think so.
"Mark it down & write it in blood. The Falcons will be 5-3 at worst. I still think the Falcons are a sneaky-alive playoff team. … After 6 weeks, ATL will have a better record than ARZ."
— @getnickwright on which 0-2 team he has the most faith in & which 2-0 team he doesn't pic.twitter.com/e8MfBIV8wC
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 21, 2021
Without even getting into it, the Falcons are better than the Jets, Lions, and Jaguars. We will find out this Sunday whether they’re better than Daniel Jones and the Giants. The top winless teams are the Vikings and Colts. The Falcons could eclipse Indianapolis because of their shaky quarterback situation with Carson Wentz. He went down in Week 2 after hurting both of his ankles, and even if Wentz is healthy, there are concerns about whether his body can hold up throughout the season.
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings seem to be nearing the end of the road. They’re still a talented team with good coaching, but Mike Zimmer will be on the hot seat soon if things don’t turn around, which is incredibly embarrassing. If they were smart, Cousins would be the one to get the boot. Minnesota lost close games to the Bengals and Cardinals, so I would slot them just ahead of the Falcons in these rankings of the NFL’s worst teams thus far.
The Vikings, Colts, and Giants are regimes that have been in place longer than Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot. There was an improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, and I fully expect Smith’s group to improve week-to-week as he installs his offense. At this point, I don’t see the Falcons as a better team than the Vikings or Colts, but we know those team’s ceilings, and we don’t know the Falcons’ ceiling yet. By the end of the season, it might be fair to expect Atlanta to be the best out of this current bunch of 0-2 franchises.
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