SBNation Power Rankings, Week 3: Wherein I Challenge 30 Other Bloggers To A Duel

Just look at this:

Teams      Total      W/L
Patriots 1.32      3-0
Colts     2.21      3-0
Steelers 3.47      3-0
Cowboys 3.95      3-0
Packers 5.37      3-0
Ravens     8.53      2-1
Seahawks 8.89      2-1
Broncos 8.95      2-1
Chargers 11.42      1-2
Titans     12.53      2-1
Jaguars 12.58      2-1
Texans     12.58      2-1
49ers     13.00      2-1
Buccaneers 14.05 2-1
Panthers 14.16      2-1
Bears     14.53      1-2
Redskins 15.58      2-1
Eagles     15.95      1-2
Bengals 16.68      1-2
Lions     17.53      2-1
Cardinals 21.63  1-2
Jets     22.05      1-2
Giants     24.05      1-2
Vikings 24.84      1-2
Saints     25.32      0-3
Raiders 25.95      1-2
Browns     26.32      1-2
Chiefs     26.47      1-2
Rams     28.11      0-3
Dolphins 28.58      0-3
Bills     30.21      0-3
Falcons 31.21      0-3

Ignore the fact that my erstwhile batterymates at SBNation have once again ranked the Falcons last. Pretty much everyone has done that, and I can't really disagree until they get a win. The prevailing tide of opinion only gets worse with each DeAngelo Hall tirade or whatever batshit fiasco goes terribly wrong next.

No, I'm referring to the numbers. You'll note that this week we are ranked in last with an average rating of 31.21. What was it last week, you ask?

30.94.

So, bear with me while I use the dark arts of logic. The Falcons, who were unquestionably a horrible team in the first two weeks, barely lost to the Panthers due to a series of penalties. Meanwhile, every facet of the team was better than the weeks before. Everyone with rudimentary reading skills, a pair of eyes and ears, or the ability to poke a computer with a stick can tell that. My fellow bloggers are all perfectly capable of this (except for Mile High Report's SportsGuru, who has an eyepatch). They're smart, they know their stuff, and they vote very much according to their own thoughts.

So what the hell? How did the Falcons actually plunge down almost half a point after that performance? I'm deeply confused. Was this the nature of averages working against them? Did more people actually make the decision to move them down after a good performance? And naturally, the Panthers moved up two whole points from an average ranking of 16 to 14 despite a narrow win over the supposed worst team in football. If the Falcons are really that godawful, then the Panthers probably shouldn't have gone anywhere.

This is not to demean our power rankings, which are put together by the talented Fooch of Niners Nation and are voted on by 30 capable, intelligent bloggers and myself. I just can't help but wonder what kind of potent mixture of gin and glue sniffing led to this particular Falcons ranking. It might be because we, um, still aren't very good, but I don't know. I'm not a doctor.

Leave your opinions in the comments, especially if you put the Falcons last in your rankings.