The Atlanta Falcons had been outscored 54-16 in losing their first two games of the 2026 season, so it was no surprise they were heavy underdogs last week going into a Thursday night road game against the Green Bay Packers. But here’s a hint that maybe we should have seen the upset coming: After two weeks, the Packers’ offensive Drive Dominance Ranking was 27th — and the Falcons’ defensive Drive Dominance Ranking was seventh.
So what happens? Falcons 35, Packers 14.
As a reminder, the Drive Dominance Ranking is Athlon Sports’ proprietary new NFL statistic that takes a few different drive data points to create a 0-100 score. The San Francisco 49ers went into Week 3 with the No. 1 overall Drive Dominance Ranking, and they‘’’re still No. 1. Even after a surprising loss to the Washington Commanders, the Seattle Seahawks remain in the No. 2 spot.
Some takeaways from the updated rankings going into Week 4:
- Atlanta had the league’s biggest turnaround. After that big win over the Packers, the Falcons’ overall DDR ranking went from No. 27 to No. 14. The defense was already a top 10 unit in drive dominance; the offense went from dead last after two weeks to No. 25 — still not great, but an improvement.
- The Seahawks are among four teams that rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense, along with the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Not that anyone was all that worried about the Los Angeles Rams, who are off to a 1-2 start, but the DDR is a reminder that they are still good. The Rams are the only team with a losing record in the overall top 10.
- There are three teams with a winning record ranked in the bottom 10 overall: Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles.
- The Vikings are ninth overall, based entirely on defense. Minnesota ranks No. 1 in defensive DDR, but they dead last in offense.
- The Cowboys, meanwhile, are the opposite: No. 2 on offense but dead last on defense.
- Here’s a Week 4 matchup to keep an eye on based on DDR: The Detroit Lions are road favorites against the Carolina Panthers, but the overall Drive Dominance Rankings suggest they shouldn’t be: The Lions rank 20th, while the Panthers are 11th.
Here’s a comprehensive look at the Week 4 Drive Dominance Rankings:
Drive stats courtesy of Jim Armstrong.
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