2023 NFL Power Rankings: Atlanta Falcons

Young riser: CB Jeff Okudah

Picking someone like Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London or Desmond Ridder (all under 25) would be too easy, and Matthew Bergeron is still growing into the left guard role. Okudah, though, has been dynamic since coming from Detroit to Atlanta via trade this spring. The former No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft has allowed a 31.3% completion rate with no touchdowns allowed when he was the man in coverage. He told ESPN recently this is the "most comfortable" he has been as a pro, and it shows. -- Michael Rothstein

Regardless of what happened with Bijan Robinson, the Falcons went on the road and beat a division rival without their best offensive player against a quality defense. That's the positive. Desmond Ridder following up a three-pick game with a three-fumble game wasn't on my bingo card, but with his turnovers starting to rack up, perhaps I should have chosen cards more wisely. Ridder has clearly made strides as a thrower, reinvigorating tight end Kyle Pitts and springing more chunk passes. He's also earned his stamp as an effective runner. But he and everyone else knows these turnovers have to stop.

They lead the NFC South after beating the Bucs on the road. The defense has improved in a big way in recent weeks, but Desmond Ridder has to quit turning the ball over.

Their first road win of 2023 matches their total from last season. Probably going to need to triple that — at least — to remain perched atop the NFC South.

One question: Will Desmond Ridder keep his job?

Probably, but the second-year quarterback has turned the ball over six times in the last two weeks. Ridder fumbled three times inside the Tampa Bay 11-yard line Sunday, including twice at the 1. His final fumble came just as he was about to score a rushing touchdown that likely would have put the game away. Instead, Atlanta needed a 51-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo at the buzzer. The Falcons are in first place in the NFC South after the win, and Ridder has the support of coach Arthur Smith at least for now, but until he cleans up the turnovers, this question will remain.

Desmond Ridder has been bouncing between good days and bad days throughout the season, so why not try it all in one game? Ridder was bound to be the scapegoat had the Falcons lost, having turned the ball over three times in the red zone. But with overtime looming, he got his guys downfield for the walk-off field goal. I have no idea what to make of this team, but they're on top of the NFC South.

Bijan Robinson's absence on Sunday seems reasonable. He had a headache that affected him. Terrell Davis sat out some of a Super Bowl with a migraine; it happens. But head coach Arthur Smith's weird infatuation with not using his best players and his dodgy answers after the game instead of just explaining what happened leads to unnecessary speculation.

Will the NFL smack them for hiding Bijan Robinson's illness?

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