Cue the downer grunge music, because a harsh reality has set in for the Atlanta Falcons. Losing Sunday's international game against the Cincinnati Bengals was bad enough, but Monday's trade of safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars made it clear that this team is still far from contender status.
While the return that the Falcons got for Bates is hard to argue with, sending away their best defensive player and later trading starting center Ryan Neuzil won't help end the playoff drought this year.
As expected, the Falcons have taken another dip in the weekly NFL power rankings from The Athletic. They're down to No. 24, one spot lower than last week.
"They’ve now lost four of their last five games, and things look pretty bleak because
the Chiefs, Vikings and Lions are their next three opponents. The saving grace is playing in a bad division (they’re tied for last place — but also only a half-game out of first place), but there’s not a ton that’s inspiring hope right now with a Falcons offense that is averaging 12.3 points over its last three games."
Looking ahead, it's difficult to imagine this Falcons team upsetting any of the next three teams on the docket, which includes two elite defensive units and one high-powered offense. We've seen this team perform best when we least expect it, but it would have been a tall order before trading away Bates and Neuzil.
At least on paper this team is a lot better than a record six games under .500 might suggest - but at a certain point you are what your record says you are.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons fall again in NFL power rankings after Madrid game
