Atlanta Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons running back Michael Turner, who has not practiced since suffering a high right ankle sprain last Sunday, was listed as "doubtful" Friday for Sunday's game against the New York Gaints.

Tom Coughlin had been asked about the significance of his New York Giants re-establishing its dominance at home.

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Atlanta Falcons named wide receiver Brian Finneran the team’s nominee for the 2009 Walter Payton man of the year award on Thursday.

Running back Jerious Norwood practiced for first time in nearly five weeks Thursday, giving the Atlanta Falcons hope he could play against the New York Giants this weekend if they are without injured starter Michael Turner.

The Panthers unleashed a no-huddle offense on Sunday with Delhomme calling the plays, and it produced two touchdown passes to Steve Smith, no turnovers and a 28-19 victory over the Falcons.

Atlanta running back Michael Turner's hot start was derailed Sunday when he left in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle in the Falcons' 28-19 loss to Carolina.

Atlanta Falcons: 2 - 1

Game time: 4:15pm Eastern

The Falcons return from their bye week to face the surprisingly tough San Francisco 49ers, their second road game in a row. Their last trip, up to Foxboro to take on the enigmatic Patriots, did not go so well. That loss sits especially poorly with me, because it came against a team that did not look very good. Tom Brady was not crisp, throwing for just over 50% on the day, with just a single touchdown (not to Randy Moss). What was very frustrating was the Falcons' inability to stop the Pats on 3^rd down (and in a couple of instances, 4^th). Part of this was due to Fred Taylor picking apart the Falcons' run defense and keeping the ball in Brady's hands (nearly 40 minutes of the game!). Frankly there are several things that went wrong for the Birds, and these are things that will have to be corrected for today's game against the 9ers:

• First and foremost, the Falcons really need to win in the time of possession game, and this starts with the running game. Michael Turner was stifled against the Patriots, and Jason Snelling didn't provide the same one-two punch effect that Jerious Norwood does. The 3-4 defense seems to be anathema to the Falcons' running offense, and the 49ers employ a (thus far) successful 3-4 defense. Turner (and more specifically the O-line) will have to find and create holes in this defense and keep the 49ers' offense off the field.

• The defensive line needs to step up. The good news for the Falcons front four is that Frank Gore is out for the 49ers. Glen Coffee is a talented back, so it will be up to the front line to keep his production down. More importantly, the pressure on the quarterback will also have to improve. It started strong strong - they sacked Chad Pennington 4 times, then Jake Delhomme once, but barely got a finger on Brady (and think what you want of the officials and their desire to protect Brady...). Shaun Hill needs to feel uncomfortable and off balance, and hopefully error prone. It's up to John Abraham to set the tone.

• The Falcons offense needs to cut loose. Roddy White's production hasn't been up to last year's level, and Matt Ryan hasn't really tested any team's deep defense. It's time for that to change. Tony Gonzalez was kept under wraps by the Pats' defense (a bracket coverage, he called it), but forcing the defense to spread out down field takes that option away. White, Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins, Brian Finneran, Norwood, Turner - Matt Ryan has an arsenal, and he has demonstrated that he's good enough to use it; turn him loose.

Tye Hill got plenty of work during the bye, and Brian Williams thus far has been the only corner to have stepped up, so don't be surprised to see Hill get plenty of playing time today. The Falcons may not be done making moves - it has yet to be proven that they can adequately replace Peria Jerry for the season, so look for Thomas Johnson and Trey Lewis to play with their hearts on their sleeves. I wouldn't be shocked to see Jamaal Anderson lining up in the middle with greater frequency either, which would open more game time for Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury, a move that has very little downside.

Two weeks ago, the Patriots told the Falcons that they aren't an elite team. Today, it's time to say "We're closer than you think."

Changes:  Added 199 yards passing, 58 yards rushing, 1 rushing touchdown (M. Turner)
Subtracted 1 from turnover ratio (fumble lost, M. Turner)

Milestone	Current	Goal 1	Goal 2
Wins	2	9	11
Wins in a Row	0	3	4
Avoid Back-to-Back Losses	1	0
Passing Yards	632	3500	4000
Rushing Yards	277	2250	2500
Touchdowns (Passing)	5	17	30
Touchdowns (Rushing)	2	20	25
Score 24 Points in a Game	1	8	10
Turnover Differential	+3	+0	+6
Sacks	5	34	40
Defensive Touchdowns	0	3	8
Hold Opponents to 20 Points in a Game	1	8	10
Win Division	2nd
Win Playoff Game	N/A
Win Conference	N/A

Tom Brady hasn't lost back-to-back games in nearly 6 years. The Patriots are nearly undefeated when the visiting team is playing for the first time in Gillette Stadium. Wes Welker is out. So is Jerious Norwood. Matt Ryan and Thomas Dimitroff are both making homecomings of sorts. The Falcons are battling to continue their season-long winning streak. The Patriots are battling to recover from a close, and somewhat lucky, win against the Bills and a loss to the Jets. The real player in today's game, however, will likely be...the weather.

Currently, according to weather.com the temperature is 63° and raining. That isn't going to change for the majority of the game, so two teams that have built their success this season (the Falcons) or this dynasty (the Patriots) through the air have a challenge ahead of them. With Welker out, I think the hands advantage goes to Tony Gonzalez and the Falcons. That's not to diminish the danger inherent in competing with Tom Brady and the rest of his elite receivers. Randy Moss is in, and you never know when Brady and Joey Galloway will start clicking. It will be up to Michael Turner and, with Jerious out, Jason Snelling to keep the ball away from Brady. Jason Elam will likely be key today as well. 

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