Survey: the Atlanta Falcons are America's 12th favorite team

The Atlanta Falcons don't get a lot of credit from the national media. It's a reality we've all come to accept. In fact, we often embrace that underdog status. But that said, it appears that from a popularity standpoint, the Falcons are, like the Jeffersons, movin' on up.

In this year's Harris Poll gauging the popularity of NFL teams, the Falcons ranked 12th, a double-digit jump from last season. Huzzah!

There have been a total of 15 Harris Polls taken since 1998 and the Cowboys have been voted No. 1 in 10 of those. This year's poll wasn't just good news for Cowboys fans though, it was also good news for the NFC South. The biggest year-to-year jump in the 2015 poll went to the Carolina Panthers, who moved up from 28th in 2014 to 16th this year. The Falcons, who jumped up from 22nd to 12th, were the only other team that made a double-digit jump this year.

1st, 12th or 32nd, as long as they win games. The double-digit jump is still interesting. If I had to guess, the new head coach and new stadium probably helped. Or maybe it's just some sort of statistic anomaly. Your thoughts?