NFL Power Rankings: Biggest risers and fallers after Preseason Week 1

24. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts outkicked their coverage last season in the first year of the Shane Steichen era, but they outkicked their coverage without their star rookie quarterback. Anthony Richardson showed us a glimpse of the type of weapon he could be at the quarterback position last season, but an injury robbed the NFL world of seeing how much he could grow.

And ultimately, the Colts won a lot of close games last season in a fashion that may not be sustainable going forward. But there are pieces in place for this team to be really special if everything comes together. We didn’t get to see much of the starting unit in the Colts’ preseason loss to the Broncos, but this team is must-see TV each week.

23. Atlanta Falcons

I don’t know that the transition from the Arthur Smith era is going to go as smoothly as some people seem to think for the Atlanta Falcons. Not that Smith is “the one that got away” for the Falcons, but we really saw general manager Terry Fontenot overcorrect this offseason after very oddly not going after an actual franchise quarterback for the last three or four years. 

The overcorrection of firing a head coach, signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract, and using the 8th overall pick on Michael Penix Jr. – believe it or not – may not work out immediately for the Falcons. It’s going to take time for this cast, which is good on paper, to get going. And the defense is going to have to overachieve for Raheem Morris.

This is a team that could make more noise from November on to the end of the season than they do in September.