Eagles Clash with Falcons

7-4 Philadelphia travels to Atlanta to play the 6-5 Falcons this Sunday in a key NFC match-up with huge playoff implications.

The Eagles are currently one game behind the 8-3 Cowboys in the NFC East and would have a wildcard spot if the season ended today. The Falcons are currently second to the 11-0 Saints in the NFC South so the division is out of reach, but they are still very much in the race for one of two available wildcard spots.

The biggest storyline for this game is which key players are in and which ones are out. As far as the Eagles, RB Brian Westbrook is still out due to lingering effects of a second concussion he sustained in the San Diego game. The general feeling is that he may actually be done for the season and at best he would be able to return next season. DeSean Jackson is also out with a concussion after taking a blow to the head in last week's game with the Redskins. His status is day to day but he is expected to be back for next week's game against the Giants. The only other casualty for this game is LB Akeem Jordan who is out with a knee injury.

As far as the Falcons the injury situation is a bit more grim. QB Matt Ryan is definitely out with turf toe after injuring his foot in last week's game against Tampa. He will be replaced by Chris Redman, a seven year veteran who will be making his 11th career start. They will also most likely be without RB Michael Turner who aggravated a previous ankle injury in last week's game. His loss will have a far greater impact than Ryan's as he is one of the best backs in the league and a vital part of the Falcon's offense. So far this season he has rushed for 864 yards on a 177 carries for an incredible 4.9 yards per carry average. He is also the teams leading scorer with 10 TD's. He will be replaced by Jason Snelling who has rushed for 267 yards on 66 carries. WR Michael Jenkins, who is nursing a leg injury is also questionable for this game.

One player that isn't injured and will most likely be a huge factor in the Falcon's game plan is TE Tony Gonzalez. We all know that tight ends have a way of coming up big against the Eagles' secondary and this week should be no different. This season he has 61 receptions for 666 yards and is averaging 10.9 yards per catch. Another player to watch is WR Roddy White who has 56 receptions for 770 yards and a 13.8 yards per catch average. Without a solid running game, Redman will have to rely heavily on these two players if the Falcons are to have any chance to win this game.

While the Eagles have missed Westbrook's production, rookie RB LeSean McCoy has done a great job filling the void. He has rushed for 528 yards on a 123 carries which is number one amongst all rookies this season. His 4.3 yards per carry is just a shade less than Westbrook's 4.8. Another pleasant surprise has been FB Leonard Weaver. While his overall numbers are not huge, he has been effective on short yardage situations as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. As far as picking up the slack for Jackson, another rookie Jeremy Maclin is coming into his own as he now has 42 receptions for 540 yards and Jason Avant has proved he can be a deep threat as well.

In his homecoming to the Georgia Dome where he was a human highlight reel for six seasons, do not be surprised in the Eagles find a way to work Michael Vick into the game plan this week. We have been patiently waiting all year for him to make an impact and I couldn't think of a better game for that to happen than this one.