A video preview of the game:

For the first time in a month, the Atlanta Falcons are favored coming into a game, and that is with good reason this Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

The Bills come calling at 5-9 and are a team that is not only as banged up as any team in the NFL but also as underachieving as they come. Buffalo may have to start its third-string quarterback in Brian Brohm after ankle injuries to Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards, and the visitors are very possibly going to be missing a whopping six defensive starters.

At 7-7, the Falcons are officially eliminated from the playoffs, but Mike Smith's team has a shot at producing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.

KEY MATCHUPS

Matt Ryan vs. banged-up Bills defense: Even before his injury, the Falcons' quarterback had issues throwing the ball downfield. A lot of people started to question the former Boston College star because the vertical attack was nowhere to be seen. But No. 1 receiver Roddy White was not 100 percent for a lot of games, and that could have hindered the quick-strike offense.

Ryan came back from the toe injury last week, leading the Birds to that come-from-behind victory against the Jets at the Meadowlands and should be good to go this week as well. The signal-caller is not going to be close to 100 percent, but he is an improvement over Chris Redman and could nevertheless be in attack mode thanks to the Bills' ridiculous number of injuries.

Matt Ryan was OK last week in his return from injury but has a great chance this week against beat-up Buffalo.

Buffalo's defense is very suspect to begin with, and when you factor in missing a blossoming rookie stud safety in Jairus Byrd, along with cornerback Terrence McGee and a ton of others, we could be seeing Ryan go for broke more than usual. That could lead Atlanta to an explosion of sorts and an easy win from beginning to end, as this Buffalo team very well may quit if it gets punched in the mouth early on.

Falcons pass rush vs. Bills quarterback: It appears Brohm may be making his NFL debut here and that could spell disaster for a spiraling-out-of-control Buffalo team. Brohm certainly comes from great lineage and was phenomenal at Louisville, but the guy is on a team that appears to be ready to pack it in.

Luckily for the signal caller, defensive end John Abraham has not been the Abraham of old, and all in all, the Falcons' defense is fairly vanilla and not very athletic. There is not a ton of raw talent, leading to an aggressive scheme that ultimately could confuse Brohm so the quarterback does have a chance to stay upright and be alright.

Brian Van Gorder is a quality defensive coordinator, but his hands are somewhat tied with his personnel. Granted, this unit held the Jets in check last week, but when it's cold and windy, points can be at a premium. Pluse, the New York special teams issues didn't hurt the outcome -- that's for sure.

If Abraham and the defense can get to Brohm, then the Buffalo quarterback will be in a ton of trouble, and this thing could get ugly. If not, then maybe the Bills can stay in this thing long enough to make a few plays with receivers Lee Evans and Terrell Owens and have a shot.

-- JUSTIN HANOVER