Will the real Atlanta Falcons please stand up? That seems to be the narrative on this team going into Week 8, as analysts around the web try to make sense of a team that just beat the serious heavyweight San Francisco 49ers, but has also lost to the Baltimore Ravens without Lamar Jackson in the lineup.
In any case, the Falcons are undeniably on the rise - even if it's not consistent from week to week. The latest power rankings from Nick Shook at NFL.com are evidence of that. He has them at No. 13, up six spots from last week.
"Look, I’m with you: I don’t know who the Falcons are, either. They were an inspired bunch on Sunday, outplaying a strong 49ers team by cashing in their most important opportunities around halftime and tacking on points after
a magnificent interception made by veteran safety Jessie Bates III. Michael Penix Jr. looks very comfortable in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, and Jeff Ulbrich’s defense played with a higher level of aggression, bottling up some of the 49ers’ most important playmakers (minus Mike Evans, who was unable to go). A win like this makes me believe in this team. Hopefully, it doesn't deliver the opposite this Sunday in Tampa."
While it's difficult to predict exactly which version of this team is going to show up any given week, they have grown by leaps and bounds since the first two games of the season - which are now completely irrelevant when it comes to evaluating how good these Falcons are.
As several players have said since he returned to the lineup in Week 3, this is a completely different team with Michael Penix Jr. under center. Following his great showing against the Niners, Penix is now ranked in the top 10 in several advanced stats, including EPA/play, QBR and passer rating. He also has just one interceptioin so far this season.
If Penix stays healthy and continues producing at a high level while taking care of the ball, the Falcons will have a very high ceiling. Whether they can reach it or not is another question.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons take huge leap in NFL.com's latest power rankings
