NFL power rankings: Atlanta Falcons on the rise after back to back wins

Think back to one year ago, Atlanta Falcons fans. Your Falcons were destined to reach the Super Bowl. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan had the offense doing amazing things. The young Falcons defense was turning heads. And the Falcons were 6-4. Twelve months later the Falcons are once again 6-4, the young defense is once again turning heads, and the offense, even without Kyle Shanahan, is doing some amazing things. It’s Tuesday, folks. Let’s break down the power rankings.

ESPN: 9th (up two spots)

The Falcons were 6-4 through 10 games last season and ended up in the Super Bowl. There's still a lot of work left for Atlanta to repeat last season's success, but a win in Seattle on Monday night was a step in the right direction.

NFL.com: 9th (up three spots)

Another win for the Falcons, who have strung together three wins in four games. What if Julio Jones catches that ball in Carolina? The Monday nighter in Seattle might not have been a signature performance, as the Seahawks did everything they could to lose the game. That said, Atlanta took advantage of opportunities when it mattered, bolstered by a few excellent calls by OC Steve Sarkisian.

CBS Sports: 9th (up two spots)

They've won two in a row and now have three straight at home, starting Sunday against the Bucs. The offense is just fine now.

Yahoo Sports: 8th (up two spots)

Two consecutive impressive wins, first over Dallas and then at Seattle. It’s a little worrisome to buy completely in, because it ignores they weren’t great the first half of the season, but there are reasons to believe this is the start of something good.

Bleacher Report: 9th (up three spots)

The Falcons started hot against the Seahawks and did a lot of good things in a tough environment. However, special teams was horrible. Atlanta needs to work on that, situational football and discipline moving forward. It almost cost the Falcons on Monday night, because they kept giving Seattle chances to get back in the game.

So now the Falcons are a consensus top ten team. They control their destiny. I can’t emphatically disagree with these rankings. If the Falcons manage to win the next three games, they’ll likely break into the top five. (Not that it matters. It’d just be nice to roll into the final three games, all against division opponents, at 9-4.)

Your thoughts?