In what could be billed as almost an elimination game, we have two struggling struggling teams limping into this matchup in desperate need of a victory.

The Giants haven't won in about six weeks, and the Falcons have all of a sudden looked extremely vulnerable on the road as the recent losses in New England, New Orleans, Dallas and Carolina attest to.

After a week off I give the major advantage Sunday to the home Giants as I expect them to rebound nicely and resurrect their season. The Giants still have a very good pass rush, led by Osi Umenyiora, meaning the ice cold Matt Ryan is going to be in a ton of trouble and continue to sail balls over his receivers' heads leading to more interceptions.

Atlanta also is more than likely going to be without running back Michael Turner, who was on fire before getting hurt last week in Carolina. Turner seems to have suffered a high ankle sprain.

Look for Tom Coughlin's crew to show some more of the form from the first month of the season in a big-time win against a banged up and struggling visitor from Hotlanta.
Prediction: Giants 27, Falcons 13

-- JUSTIN HANOVER

Conventional wisdom is that the Falcons lose this one.  Everyone is picking against them.  Their franchise running back is doubtful.  The “Matty Ice Age” has thawed a bit.

However, the gut says that the Dirty Birds come back from the New Jersey swamps with a W.

Something says that Jerious Norwood (hip) plays in this one and picks up decent yards against a New York Giants defense that will be missing defensive captain Antonio Pierce.  Jason Snelling will also be called upon to pick up the slack, and will do so on Sunday afternoon.

Granted, New York is coming off of a bye week, the fourth and final team this season to do so against the Falcons this season (thanks, schedule makers).  The G-men will be eager to snap a four-game losing streak.

But Matty Ice will freeze Big Blue in the Garden State as the Falcons eke a late win to extend their Giants Stadium winning streak to six.
Prediction: Falcons 28, Giants 27

-- PHIL FOLEY

The Falcons are very banged up the skill positions. Top running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood could miss this game, and wide receivers Roddy White and Brian Finneran will be at less than 100 percent if they play. That, in turn, places more pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan, and he's shown some signs that is getting to him. A well-rested Giants team isn't the tonic for the 'Birds' descent.
Prediction: Giants 24, Falcons 17

-- CHRIS BAYEE

Consensus: Giants win

It looks like “the Burner” will be grounded.

The Atlanta Falcons released their injury report late Friday afternoon and, as expected, running back Michael Turner was officially listed as doubtful for the Week 11 contest against the New York Giants.

Turner was in the middle of what was looking like a sensational afternoon last Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, rushing for 111 yards on nine carries before sustaining a high right ankle sprain midway through the second quarter. He did not return.

Atlanta likely will be forced to primarily use rushers Jason Snelling and Aaron Stecker at the Meadowlands, although it’s possible that Jerious Norwood may finally see some action against the Giants.

Norwood, who has missed the last four weeks with a hip flexor, was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday and is listed as questionable for the tilt in the swamps of New Jersey.

Atlanta will be without wideout Brian Finneran (knee) for the contest, while fellow WR Roddy White is questionable with a knee injury.

Safety Erik Coleman (knee) is also listed as questionable.

The Falcons did receive some good news about tackle Sam Baker, who missed the club’s Week 10 contest against Carolina. He participated fully in Atlanta’s last two practices and is probable on Sunday.

The New York Giants entered Friday with three injuries and ended the day with four.

Defensive captain Antonio Pierce was not listed on any injury reports this week but is out indefinitely after an MRI exam revealed a bulging disk in his neck. The nine-year pro, who suffered a burner when the G-Men took on the Arizona Cardinals on October 25, felt discomfort in practice this week before undergoing tests Friday.

Big Blue may also be without cornerback Aaron Ross, who is questionable with a hamstring injury.

However, running back Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot) and quarterback Eli Manning (foot) should be in uniform as the Giants try to snap a four-game skid on Sunday. Bradshaw was limited in practice all week, but New York’s signal caller Manning fully participated in New York’s practices. Both are listed as probable.

-- PHIL FOLEY

A video preview of the game:

Talk about two teams heading south in a hurry and needing a win. That is clearly the case this week at the Meadowlands, and it's not even the Jets who are in action!

The New York Giants have dropped four in a row after jumping out of the gate 5-0, and the Atlanta Falcons have not been too stellar of late either, losing a lot of their 2008/early 2009 swagger while also falling to 5-4.

Dropping to .500 and in the process losing an all-important tiebreaker to an NFC opponent is what is on the line here. How can the visiting Falcons avoid such a situation?

Key Matchups

Matt Ryan vs. Giants defense

There aren't many bigger Ryan fans than me, as the kid has a Hall of Fame upside. Last season, from the first pass he threw in this league, which turned out to be a long touchdown to Michael Jenkins, all the way through the end of the year, the former Boston College star showed he was a force to be reckoned with.

But something has happened of late, and Ryan is just not the same guy. Is he hurt? Has he lost his confidence? Is the offensive line not blocking as well? I don't have a hard answer to any of this, but the quarterback's passes are all of a sudden sailing way too far, and that is leading to way too many interceptions.

Now the Falcons go to the windy and cold Meadowlands against one of the better pass rushing teams in the league and more than likely will be without the bulk of their ground game thanks to Michael Turner's high ankle sprain.

At some point I do believe Ryan will blossom and prove to be borderline great once again, but I'm really not sure how this can be that spot. Maybe if his offensive linemen can play the games of their lives and slow down Osi Yumeiora, Justin Tuck and others, Ryan will regain a little confidence and have an improved game this week.

The Atlanta signal caller, even with the poor play of late, still has that special quality to him and that still gives him and his mates a puncher's chance in this tough spot.

Falcons first drive vs. Giants psyche

No matter how bad it has been of late for the Falcons, they still seem to come out of the gate flying high. Atlanta had scored touchdowns in their opening drives against Dallas, New Orleans and Washington and last week kicked a field goal against Carolina. That makes it four straight games with points on the board before the other team, and while it only led to a 1-3 mark in those games, it could be very important this time.

The Giants are a team that might be a little mentally frail right now. They have not won a game in about six weeks and are coming off a bye -- which more than likely will be a good thing -- but there's always that chance that coach Tom Coughlin worked the team a little too hard for too long and they are just mentally spent.

If the visitors can come in and shove it down the G-Men's throats right off the bat, than we could see the Men in Blue crumble just a bit. A confident team that has won a lot would brush off a slow start, but a struggling team that has lost some confidence may implode enough to continue the downward spiral.

Falcons running attack vs. Giants defense

The injury to Turner has cast a lot of doubt in my mind on the Falcons' chances this week. New York is preparing for "The Burner," but anybody who knows anything about high ankle sprains understands this injury is normally at the bare minimum three to four weeks, if not more like six. It literally can be worse than a break.

With Turner, Atlanta can run the ball and wreak a little havoc on the ground. But without him and possibly once again without Jerious Norwood, things are going to be extremely difficult for the rushing attack and therefore the passing attack, as we all know how the run opens up the pass.

Aaron Stecker was just resigned after getting cut the week before and would back up Jason Snelling. I do love the way Snelling has been running in relief, but let's be honest here: He is not a feature back and probably should not be getting more than 20 or so carries ever in a game right now after recently having an injury himself and not being in tip-top shape.

The Falcons will have no choice but to try and run the ball no matter who is lining up in the backfield. They can't throw Ryan to the wolves and just have him hurl the pill every down, as that would be a failing strategy for sure.

It's a desperate battle of atrition type of a situation for the Falcons, but with the Giants having lost four in a row and a lot of confidence, an Atlanta victory is still a possibility.

--JUSTIN HANOVER

Matt Ryan threw the ball down the middle of the field, connecting with Michael Jenkins for seven points. His first NFL throw, his first NFL completion. A touchdown.

The “Matty Ice Age” started with a flourish in Atlanta.

Gone were the forgotten memories of a terrible 2007-08 campaign where the focus was on dogfighting, infighting and the resignation of Bobby Petrino so that he could take a job with a team named after a bunch of pigs.

It was the beginning of a new era for the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick, lead the Dirty Birds to heights no one expected the club to attain last season: an 11-5 record, a return to the postseason.

But this season, the ice has melted a bit for Ryan and the Falcons.

The second-year signal caller has tossed an interception 12 times this season and at least once in seven of Atlanta’s nine games. He already has surpassed last season’s total of 11 and is coming off his worst performance of the season against the Carolina Panthers.

In that one, Ryan threw a pair of picks, including one in crunch time that sealed Atlanta’s fate in the 28-19 loss. He finished with a 57.4 QB rating, his second-worst performance as a pro.

Second-year quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled this season after a stellar rookie year, tossing 12 interceptions.

But has “Matty Ice” somehow made the transformation to “Matty Choke,” as some in the blogosphere have claimed?

The Atlanta quarterback doesn’t think so.

“You just have to keep plugging away,” Ryan said to reporters on a video posted by atlantafalcons.com. “As a quarterback you are going to make mistakes. You have to learn from those mistakes, make the adjustments during the course of the week.”

Let’s hope that Ryan and the Falcons make that adjustment quickly.

With Atlanta staring at mediocrity and starting rusher Michael Turner likely out for the Week 11 matchup against the New York Giants, Ryan will have to eliminate mistakes in the Meadlowlands in order for Atlanta to emerge with a much-needed win.

“The beauty of the NFL is that it's a long season,” Ryan said. “You have an opportunity to get back out there this week, play again and hopefully make the adjustments when the opportunities present themselves.”

-- PHIL FOLEY

The Atlanta Falcons are at a bit of a crossroads as they enter the New Jersey swamps for their Week 11 matchup against the New York Giants.

Their franchise quarterback is struggling. Their leading rusher may be on the shelf. Plus, the Giants are coming off of a bye week, and Atlanta is staring the .500 mark in the face.

It couldn’t get more pivotal than this.

And from the sound of it, running back Michael Turner is doing whatever he can to recover from that high right ankle sprain to go and find the “Jimmy Hoffa” end zone at least one more time before Giants Stadium mercifully goes the way of the wrecking ball at the end of this season.

“I don’t know (if I’ll play on Sunday), it’s only Wednesday,” Turner told reporters on a video broadcast by atlantafalcons.com. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m doing everything it takes to get back as soon as possible.”

The Atlanta rusher, who was on his way to a sensational afternoon in Charlotte on Sunday – nine carries, 111 yards – before he got hurt midway through the second quarter, knows he has to take a pragmatic approach to returning.

“You don’t want to rush it, you want to give it time to heal up,” he said. “At the same time, you want to work it, too.”

But at the same time, he knows what’s at stake for his club, which has a tough road ahead of it with matchups against the Giants, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles looming. He hopes to be back soon.

“I’ve never been out six weeks on an ankle sprain,” Turner said. “Don’t plan on being that long. I’m trying to get back as soon as I can.”

With Turner not running on the ankle just yet, his status against the Giants has to be iffy, at best.

Despite his best efforts, Michael Turner might have to sit out Sunday's critical road tilt against the Giants.

Atlanta can use all the help they can get, especially with Jerious Norwood looking less and less likely to be back in uniform on Sunday. Without Turner or Norwood, the Falcons would have to turn to Jason Snelling, who rushed for 61 yards in the second half against the Panthers.

The Falcons can also take solace in the fact that they have played well at the Meadowlands, against both the Giants and the Jets. The Dirty Birds have won their last five games there dating back to 1979.

Atlanta hopes that history will repeat itself two more times (against the Giants and then the Jets) before the curtain comes down on Giants Stadium. Two wins will go a long way to erasing that dreaded back-to-back winning season curse.

-- PHIL FOLEY