The Atlanta Falcons are for real. I know the New Orleans Saints have been struggling, but they had lost only one game by a large margin before Sunday. For Atlanta to beat them so handily, by a two-touchdown margin, that was impressive.

Atlanta's defense continues to play better than most expected. John Abraham brings constant pressure and their defensive backs played pretty well, too. The Falcons are a complete team. We have already said how well Matt Ryan and Michael Turner have been doing on offense.

The biggest thing going down the stretch for the Falcons is what's their confidence going to be? They have never been in this situation before. You have a young quarterback, a young coach in Mike Smith and a team that could be a playoff contender — how will they handle the next two months?

Carolina is good and Tampa Bay is not bad, either, but they are as good as Atlanta right now. Atlanta has improved since they lost to Tampa Bay. Carolina is just going to pound you and be physical with you. And later in the year, how physical you are generally decides your fate.

You almost feel like the Falcons are a expansion team because they went out and had to hire a whole new coaching staff and players. They've done such a good job that you don't even notice the turmoil that they had there last year. That's an amazing thing. People say the Falcons have made a turnaround, but I really think they have made a major overhaul. You don't even think about their past with Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino; all you are looking at is the excitement of where they are now and where they are going. Ryan looks like he's going to be outstanding and Turner is the best free-agent signing of the year. And Smith is the best coaching hire this year.

Not sold on Jets

The New York Jets are 6-3 and ready for a playoff run, but I'm still not a believer. They whipped the Rams, but St. Louis is a different team without Steven Jackson. After two big wins under Jim Haslett, the Rams have kind of stepped back into reality. The Jets, I think, they still have to eliminate the turnovers. The Rams had three or four opportunities Sunday to get a turnover and couldn't come up with them. You can never be successful with turnovers, and that's what Brett Favre is getting known for.

I still like New England to repeat as AFC East champions. I even like Miami more than the Jets in the division. I think the Patriots are slowing starting to find their way under quarterback Matt Cassel, and they should only get stronger as the season goes. They had a good opportunity to win last Sunday in Indianapolis, another team that is starting to play well.

Cassel is playing a lot better, plus his teammates and coaches are finding out what he can do. It's different when you are practicing. You can complete every pass because you can't really hit a quarterback or a receiver. It is not a physical thing because you can't afford to beat the players up in practice. Only in games do you really know how a player will perform. We all know Bill Belichick is great at finding ways that fit his players to make them successful.