2021 NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Ravens knock off Chiefs, Raiders crack top 10

Last week, the Atlanta Falcons were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles. This week, they were embarrassed by the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maybe it’s better to be beaten up by a contender, but either way, the Arthur Smith era in Atlanta is off to about as bad of a start as anyone could have imagined.

Their offensive line continues to be an issue as they haven’t protected Matt Ryan very well. He did at least gain 300 yards passing but had three touchdowns against two touchdowns. He got no help from the ground game, which mustered just 55 yards on 20 carries.

Defensively, things were much worse. Tom Brady was able to pick them apart, throwing for 276 yards and five touchdowns without a pick. They didn’t really commit to the running game but still went over 80 yards as they pretty much had their way all afternoon with their divisional rival.

The good news is that rookie tight end Kyle Pitts really showed out in this one. He had 73 yards on five receptions, showing why Atlanta took him so early in the 2021 NFL Draft. They just have to hope they can get enough players around him quickly so they don’t waste his best days with the product they’ve been putting on the field so far in 2021.