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None of these ratings is surprising if you've watched the way the Falcons have performed this season. Most of their wins have been one-possession games -- including Sunday against Carolina -- while their losses have been blowouts. Atlanta is one of two teams (hello, Jets) with none of the three phases of football rated in the top 20. At No. 27 overall, the Falcons are the lowest-rated team in contention for the playoffs. So, what does this say about the Falcons? They are performing well as a group and are being well-coached despite each side of the ball having its struggles. -- Michael Rothstein

The Falcons are, almost impossibly, very much alive in the NFC playoff race. Atlanta forced three Carolina turnovers -- including a critical Mykal Walker pick-six of Cam Newton -- en route to a 29-21 win in Charlotte. The Falcons' 5-2 road record would ordinarily function as a golden ticket to the playoffs, but a 1-5 mark at Mercedes-Benz Stadium has held Arthur Smith's team down. Atlanta won on Sunday because it combined those takeaways with a strong running game -- the team went over 100 yards rushing for the third straight week, with Mike Davis finally looking like a functional complement to Cordarrelle Patterson.

They kept their playoff chances alive by winning at Carolina. The defense played well in that one, but now they have a tough trip to San Francisco.

Would you believe the football analytics site Pro Football Focus currently rates Cordarrelle Patterson as the NFL's No. 1 running back?

Worst-case scenario: The Falcons still have a 12 percent chance to make the playoffs. The problem is that they're not good enough to be truly competitive, but they're also not bad enough to be in contention to for a top draft pick. So now they'll head into another offseason in NFL no-man's land, with the same sort of existential quarterback questions they faced last offseason but with fewer good answers to solve it.