FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The 2026 NFL season is officially upon us, which means Power Rankings are back.
We'll be handling this Power Ranking series a little different this year compared to years' past. Instead of AtlantaFalcons.com curating our own rankings, we will be pulling published rankings from across the national media space and compiling them all right here every week.
Week 1 kicks off this week. So, here's where teams are finding themselves ranked as the season officially gets underway.
Publish date: Aug. 31
ESPN's Top 10
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Buffalo Bills
- Denver Broncos
- Philadelphia Eagles
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Houston Texans
Biggest post-draft ranking change:
Houston Texas +3 spots, up to 10 from 13
Chicago Bears -3 spots, down from 9 to 12
Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 26
Milestone to watch, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi: Running back Bijan Robinson earning the most scrimmage yards by an NFL player under 25.
"Clinton Portis had 7,059 scrimmage yards before turning 25 in the early 2000s with Denver and Washington, while Robinson enters this season with 5,648 career scrimmage yards. So for Robinson to move to No. 1, he needs 1,412 yards from scrimmage before his 25th birthday on Jan. 30, 2027. He led the league with an average of 135 scrimmage yards per game last season. At the same pace in 2026, Robinson would close in on the record by Week 11." — Raimondi
Publish date: Sept. 8
The Athletic's Top 10
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Buffalo Bills
- New England Patriots
- Denver Broncos
- San Francisco 49ers
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Detroit Lions
- Chicago Bears
Biggest offseason ranking change:
Baltimore Ravens +5 from 16 to 11
Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles -3
- Broncos down from 2 to 5
- Eagles down from 9 to 12
Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 26
Mock's projected win total: 6.9
"Amid all the questions about the Falcons' quarterback competition between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., it's easy to forget that this team lost last year's 15th pick, Jalon Walker, to an ACL tear and last year's 26th pick, James Pearce Jr., to an eight-game suspension. Tagovailoa will start, but things aren't looking great in Atlanta." — Josh Kendall, Chad Graff
Publish date: Sept. 7
Bleacher Report's Top 10
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- San Francisco 49ers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Chargers
Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 28
"Atlanta enters the 2026 season with significant questions on both sides of the ball.
In terms of offensive weapons, the Falcons are set up well. Running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts are an impressive trio, and the offensive line is solid. However, Atlanta headed into Week 1 without having named a starting quarterback, and that's not a good sign.
Defensively, things are even worse. We already knew the linebacker position was going to be a potential concern, but a Falcons team that led the NFC in sacks last season will now be down its top two edge-rushers for at least the first eight games—and one is out for the season.
Those absences create a major problem for the defense.
The NFC South is widely viewed as one of the league's weakest divisions, but Atlanta's issues entering the season may be too much to overcome." — Gary Davenport
Publish date: Aug. 11
NFL.com's Top 10
- Los Angeles Rams
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Buffalo Bills
- Baltimore Ravens
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Houston Texans
- Chicago Bears
Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 25
"This ranking illustrates my trepidation regarding Atlanta. It's a team that has the talent to land higher than this, but also has already lost Jalon Walker to a season-ending injury and still doesn't have much clarity regarding its outlook under center. Michael Penix Jr. is still returning from his latest ACL repair, Tua Tagovailoa began camp with back issues, and the situation became so dire that Atlanta raced to the open market to bring in Cooper Rush in late July. I like that the Falcons have options at QB, but I don't like the fact that neither option seems very viable at this stage. All of this can change for the better by the time Week 1 arrives. I'm hoping it does for Atlanta's (and Kevin Stefanski's) sake." — Nick Shook
Publish date: Sept. 7 — Divisions, records predictions
NFC South prediction
- New Orleans Saints: 8-9
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-10
- Atlanta Falcons: 6-11
- Carolina Panthers: 6-11
NFC South Bold Prediction, per John Breech: Kellen Moore wins Coach of the Year with a losing record
"Winning the Coach of the Year award in a season where your team finishes with a losing record is almost impossible. Over the past 40 years, it's only happened once, in 1990, when Jimmy Johnson was voted Coach of the Year after leading the Cowboys to a 7-9 record (the Cowboys went 1-15 the year before, which is why everyone was so impressed with Johnson).
The Saints haven't made the playoffs since 2020, so if Moore can get the ship turned around and lead them to the postseason, that will certainly put him in the conversation for Coach of the Year. The Saints have an emerging quarterback in Tyler Shough, and they put some serious talent around him this offseason by signing Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards. If Shough takes a big step forward, Moore will deservedly get a lot of the credit, and if the Saints win the division on top of that, that might be enough for Moore to win the award." — John Breech
Publish date: Sept. 1 — Super Bowl Tier lists
Tier list key, per Carter Bahns:
- S: Super Bowl or bust
- A: Got close in '25, could break through in '26
- B: Legitimate championship aspirations
- C: Make the playoffs, then we'll talk
- D: Probably finishing below .500
- F: No. 1 pick contenders
S Tier teams: Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: C Tier
"The C Tier might be the most fluid. If everything clicks for these teams, they can clinch a spot in the playoffs. If it falls apart, they could bottom out and face tough questions about whether to keep their coaching staff and whether to blow up their rosters.
Nothing exemplifies that reality quite like the NFC South. All four teams landed in this tier for two reasons. One, they are all on equal footing, as evidenced by the three-way tie atop the division in 2025. Two, none of them are particularly great, which showed in all of them finishing last season under .500." — Carter Bahns
Take a look at our best shots from week one practice ahead of the Sunday matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
