Falcons ranking among 2-0 teams may surprise fans

The Falcons are one of nine undefeated teams entering Week 3. To the surprise of everyone, and I mean everyone, the NFC South has three of those nine 2-0 clubs. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked those teams, and Falcons fans may be a bit shocked to see where Atlanta falls…

9. Commanders

8. Falcons

“It’s been so far, so good for Arthur Smith’s run-heavy script, which helped Atlanta cruise past the Panthers and then storm back against the Packers. Desmond Ridder’s grit was particularly apparent in Week 2’s upset of Green Bay. Like the Commanders, we just need a bigger sample size to fully buy-in, and upcoming games (at Lions, vs. Jaguars) should help reveal the truth.”

7. Buccaneers

6. Saints

5. Ravens

4. Eagles

3. Dolphins

2. 49ers

1. Cowboys

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I don’t think Falcons fans would have any problem with the top five, regardless of the order, but they certainly would with the 6-9 rankings. It’s only been two weeks, but the Saints’ offense looks incredibly ineffective. The New Orleans defense will have to carry them until Derek Carr and Pete Carmichael get on the same page, if that ever happens, which I am on record saying I don’t think comes to fruition.

The Buccaneers play a similar brand of football. Todd Bowles’ defense is back to playing like one of the best in the league, and Baker Mayfield has proved a lot of people wrong with his efficient play. Tampa’s playmakers — Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — are still effective, but Mayfield will eventually regress to the mean. I don’t think this is sustainable.

For the Falcons, their formula is sustainable. The run game spearheaded by Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier is by far the best out of the three NFC South teams, and the defense is right there with the Saints and Buccaneers. Atlanta’s quarterback play leaves something to be desired, but in terms of EPA, he’s been better than Derek Carr.

This division is going to come down to those head-to-head matchups, which I think the Falcons match up well in.

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Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire