NFL power rankings: Sports Illustrated’s Peter King believes in the Atlanta Falcons, ranks them third

The Atlanta Falcons will get a lot of shade thrown their way in the coming months. It doesn’t matter how tired you are of hearing about the 25-point blown lead in February’s Super Bowl; I can guarantee you it will come up again and again and again. It’s the sort of thing one might make a drinking game out of, if one were so inclined.

But don’t fret Falcons fans, there are still plenty of level heads out there. Peter King’s power rankings are out. He, like many of us, thinks the long-term effect of the blown lead is overblown. (He also thinks the Falcons will be the third-best team in the NFL heading into the season.)

I don’t think young players blowing a 25-point Super Bowl lead and losing the toughest game of their lives will ruin those players. On the outside we say, My gosh, how can any team ever come back from that? And I don’t know what Matt Ryan and Deion Jones and Keanu Neal and Julio Jones think on the inside, but I doubt it’s dire [... and] there’s no reason to think this offense can’t be as explosive as it was last year.

Talent isn’t everything, but in the NFL, it counts for a lot. Simply put, the Falcons are loaded with talent, and [knocks on wood] substantial regression seems unlikely.

Your thoughts?