NFL

2016 NFL Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

Brandon Gdula  —  @gdula13 Jul 22nd, 2016
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17. Atlanta Falcons, -0.66 nERD

Last season was the year of Devonta Freeman, who earned a Pro-Bowl nod on the back of a phenomenal season. He slowed down at an alarming rate last season, and the Falcons actually ranked just 25th in Adjusted Rushing NEP in 2015.

Atlanta did boast a top-10 passing offense, thanks to Julio Jones' second-ranked Reception NEP (148.18) from a massive 203 targets. Matt Ryan played well, too, earning the seventh-highest Passing NEP in the league (125.20), on the second-best Passing Success Rate in the NFL (53.24%).

Issues remain on the defensive side, as they ranked 21st by our metrics in 2015, and the average defense will put a lot of pressure on the offense to keep the team above .500.

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