First, credit where it’s due: The Atlanta Falcons had a combined 10-22 record the last two seasons, and its defense was so appalling that Arther Blank installed a new head coach to make them “tougher”. Most projections had their record this year somewhere between 5-11 and 7-9. Now, with their 25-19 OT victory over the Redskins on Sunday, Atlanta sit 5-0 and, barring a total collapse, should cruise into the playoffs.

Good job, Falcons!

Matt Ryan is just a notch below the league’s very best. Julio Jones is a monster, Devonta Freeman is a welcome surprise, and under head coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons are moving in a positive direction. All of that remains, but the truth remains that their 5-0 record is undoubtedly the most deceptive in the NFL.

Only one of the five teams the Falcons have beaten this season have a winning record. Looking ahead, just two of the remaining eight teams left on their schedule — the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts — have won more games than they’ve lost.

And it’s not as though the Falcons have won any of those games convincingly.

Atlanta raced to a 20-3 first half lead against the Eagles in week one only for its defense to totally capitulate. It took a late fourth quarter comeback to prevent them from dropping to 0-1. Eli Manning gifted them a victory in week two, and the defense struggled to contain Brandon Weeden in week three. On Sunday, playing once again at the Georgia Dome after an easy win over the atrocious Houston Texans, Atlanta allowed Kirk Cousins to march down the field late in regulation and relied on a pick-6 in overtime.

Nowhere are the margins between winning and losing thinner than in the NFL, and it’s tough to be too harsh on a team that’s racking up wins. But suggesting that this Falcons team is anything more than average is a stretch. Their defense — the unyielding problem for the better part of the last six seasons — is still comprised of many of the same players as last season. It’s why the Falcons defense ranks 21st in the league in total defense despite their easy stretch of games.

The Falcons will continue reaping the benefits of an absurdly easy schedule, but the bottom will fall out sooner rather than later. This was and remains a transitional year for the franchise, everything else is just a red herring.