The Atlanta Falcons should have won Sunday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens. After falling behind early by a field goal, Jessie Bates' fumble return for a touchdown gave them the lead, which they held up until the final minutes of overtime.
By that time, Atlanta's defense was totally gassed, as the Ravens dominated the time of possession in the second half and they couldn't get the stops they needed. Even worse, Michael Penix suffered a rib injury that puts his status for Week 6 against Chicago up in the air.
As expected, the Falcons have dropped a couple of spots in the latest NFL power rankings from The Athletic. They're at No. 24 today, down two spots from last week.
"When Michael Penix Jr. is healthy, this Falcons team is pretty intriguing
and has moved the ball well both on the ground and through the air. The problem is Penix is injured once again. This time, it’s his ribs, and even though the team is reportedly optimistic he can play in Week 6, there’s a “here we go again” feeling looming over Atlanta."
Penix may be snake-bitten, but he's also shown a dramatic improvement this season. His opening possessions have been shaky but once Penix gets into a rhythm he's been accurate and aggressive while not getting reckless with his decisions. That bodes very well for the Falcons' immediate and long-term future.
Defensively, the injuries are starting to take a toll. Up front the Falcons are still getting a lot of pressure and doing relatively well against the run, but the secondary keeps taking big losses and that showed up down the stretch against the Ravens.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons drop in Week 6 NFL power rankings after SNF loss
