The Atlanta Falcons were one of a handful of teams to receive a bye week just four games into the season. Going into Week 6, the 2-2 Falcons will host the 4-1 Buffalo Bills, who were upset a week ago by the New England Patriots. Since 2019, when the Bills turned the corner as a franchise, they have lost back-to-back games at least once in every season.
This is good news for Atlanta, as the team has a tough schedule coming up over the next few weeks, including prime-time matchups in Weeks 6 and 7. The Falcons’ early bye could come in handy this week, assuming they don’t come out rusty on Monday night.
As for the latest power rankings from Pro Football Focus, the team remained at No. 18. While this isn’t exactly a surprise, the Falcons’ could make a jump with a win over the Bills in Week 6.
Falcons stay at No. 18 PFF’s power rankings:
The goal for the Falcons coming out of the bye is to keep Michael Penix Jr. on the right track. He earned a season-high 84.4 overall PFF grade in Week 4, and returns to a tough matchup versus the Bills on Monday night. – Thomas Valentine, PFF
So how did the rest of the NFC South fare in PFF’s Week 6 power rankings? Despite winning in Seattle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped one spot to No. 11. As for the Carolina Panthers, they climbed up four spots to No. 23 after coming back against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
Early on, it seemed as if it was a race to the bottom between Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore for Carolina. The Panthers have shown up with big wins when they absolutely need them. As for the Saints, even a win against the New York Giants couldn’t get them out of the bottom spot.
On Monday night, the Falcons have a chance to really elevate their chances at the postseason if they can find a way to defeat the Bills, who happen to sit at No. 1 in PFF’s power rankings. This Week 6 matchup starts at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons hold ground in latest NFL power rankings
