2018 NFL Power Rankings: Wild Card edition

9. Atlanta Falcons

10-6 (Wild Card)

No. 6 Seed in NFC

Who would have thought that the team that was much-maligned for what happened in Super Bowl LI would be the only club in their conference in 2016 to return to the postseason this year?

Got all that? While the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks are all sitting somewhere else they days, the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons are preparing to meet the upstart Los Angeles Rams this weekend in the Wild Card round.

But what to make of Dan Quinn’s club, one that is dramatically different from a year ago. Last season, there were 540 points and 58 offensive touchdowns. This year, that point total fell to 353 and there were 25 fewer visits by Matt Ryan and company to the end zone. The reigning NFL MVP threw for 20 scores and was picked off a dozen times – a far cry from his 38 TD pass-7 interception performance of 2016.

On the other hand, the team featured a stingier defense. A year after allowing 406 points and 46 offensive touchdowns, Quinn’s club surrendered only 315 points and 31 offensive TDs.

All told, this is a Falcons’ team that played the run a lot better than it did a season ago. The pass rushing showed slight improvement. But it’s worth noting that only once all season did this squad allow at least 30 points in a game. Here’s the bottom line. Can the club capitalize on the team’s playoff experience from a year ago and get on a little roll? These Falcons didn’t win any more than three games in a row this season.

Next: No. 8