Despite a 34-0 drubbing of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the Falcons earn merely a smidgen of respect — and in some cases, none at all:

NFL.com Power Rankings – “Last week, the Falcons were jettisoned out of Charlotte by the Cam Newton Express. This week, they won 34-0. Atlanta hadn’t dominated a team like that all season. But I’ll tell you this: If Julio Jones gets going in the playoffs, it will be quite tough for defenses to match up with him, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez — especially when Matt Ryan gets protection.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 3

NFL.com Week 15 Power Poll – Not much respect out of the 13 experts at NFL.com as the Falcons only move up two spots. This Week: 5; Last Week: 7

ESPN.com Power Rankings – “Hammering the Giants by a 34-0 score sent a strong message with the playoffs approaching.” This Week: 5; Last Week: 5

CBSSports.com Power Rankings – “The most overlooked part of any team in the league is how well this defense has played against good quarterbacks at home.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 4

FoxSports.com Power Rankings – “The 34-point win ties the NFL record for biggest margin of defeat over a reigning Super Bowl champ. The shutout is further proof that Mike Nolan deserves to be a head coach in this league..” This Week: 4; Last Week: 5

Bleacher Report Power Rankings – “Being the first NFC team to 12 wins puts the Atlanta Falcons firmly in position to take the No. 1 seed into the playoffs. Not only does that mean home-field advantage, but it also means a week off to rest, self-scout and get healthy for the postseason. You won’t find much faith in the Falcons’ playoff chances outside of Atlanta. Critics are quick to point out previous failures, but those same people overlook signature wins like the Week 15 crushing of the New York Giants. That’s a marquee win for the Falcons, but because it happened in the regular season, it’s discounted. It shouldn’t be. The Falcons’ 12 wins are legit, and their postseason chances are too. This is a different team, a better team, than we’ve seen under Mike Smith.” This Week: 6; Last Week: 7

Pro Football Talk: – “They should have saved a few of those points for their playoff opener.” This Week: 3; Last Week: 3