The Falcons might be without 28-year old cornerback Dunta Robinson for a couple of weeks.  He got into a massive collision with Desean Jackson during the game with the Eagles on Sunday essentially knocking both of them out.  So Robinson now has a concussion.  Robinson has played in 6 games for the Falcons this year and he has 28 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 passes defensed.  This is a big blow to the Falcons’ pass defense as Robinson is the best corner they got.

The Falcons have lost 27-year old running back Jerious Norwood for the rest of the year with a torn right ACL.  Norwood played in the first two games of the year for the Falcons in which he had 2 carries for 8 yards and 1 catch for 9 yards.  He also returned 4 kickoffs for 97 yards (24.3 avg) this year for the Falcons.  Eric Weems will likely replace Norwood on kickoff returns going forward. 

The Falcons have lost rookie WR Kerry Meier for the year as he was placed on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  This will hurt the Falcons who don’t have a lot of depth at WR.  Meier played in both pre-season games for the Falcons this year and he had 3 receptions for 34 yards (11.3 avg).  He was a fifth round pick of the Falcons but he will have to wait until 2011 to show what he can or can not do.

The Falcons will be without starting WR Michael Jenkins for the next 4-6 weeks due to a injured left shoulder.  This is a huge blow to the Falcons if Jenkins isn’t ready to start the season.  The Falcons have loved what Harry Douglas has been doing in training camp but I’m not so sure he would be ready to step into Jenkins’ starting spot by opening day.  Brian Finneran, Eric Weems and Kerry Meier aren’t starting material either so the Falcons need Jenkins to make a speedy recovery.

The Falcons have placed CB Chris Houston and RG Harvey Dahl on the Injured Reserve List ending their seasons.  Houston has a hamstring injury and Dahl has ankle and achilles injuries.  Houston played in 12 games for the Falcons this season and he has 47 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 9 passes and he has 1 INT.  Dahl played in 11 games (all starts) for the Falcons this season.  He has played in 28 games (27 starts) in his three years with the Falcons.  If this were earlier in the season the Falcons would really miss these guys.

27-year old punter Michael Koenen is likely done for the year after suffering a concussion last weekend.  He has played in 15 games for the Falcons this season and he has punted the ball 58 times for 2,493 yards (43.0 avg).  Koenen only has 3 touchbacks (5.2%) and he has pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 18 times (31%) this year.  The Falcons won’t likely have to punt much this weekend against the Bucs.

The Falcons have lost 33-year old WR Brian Finneran for the year due to a torn left PCL.  Finneran played in 10 games for the Falcons this season and he caught 11 passes for 111 yards (10.1 avg).  It’s a shame to see Finneran get hurt again as it seems like he has been rehabbing more than playing the last few years for the Falcons and it has also hurt the team as he is a good player when healthy.

The Falcons have placed 30-year old linebacker Tony Gilbert on the Injured Reserve List with a hamstring injury.  Gilbert played in 12 games this season for the Falcons and he had 4 tackles and forced 1 fumble.  The Falcons won’t miss Gilbert too much as he was basically just a special teams player.

Starting QB Matt Ryan won’t be playing at home against the Eagles this weekend.  Ryan has started all 11 games for the Falcons this season and he has completed 206 of 347 passes (59.4%) for 2,291 yards with 16 TD passes and 12 INTs (80.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 27 times for 48 yards (1.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  32-year old veteran Chris Redman will replace Ryan in the starting lineup.  He has played in 2 games this season for the Falcons and he has completed 23 of 41 passes (56.1%) for 243 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (89.8 QB Rating).  The Falcons will miss Ryan some but they are lucky to have a solid back-up like Redman and he should do a good job.

The Atlanta Falcons have lost starting RB Michael Turner for at least the next couple of weeks due to a high ankle sprain.  Turner has played in 9 games for the Falcons this season and he has carried the ball 165 times for 831 yards (5.0 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He has also caught 5 passes for 35 yards (7.0 avg) so far this year.  Turner is almost impossible to replace but Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood will likely share carries while he is out of action.  Snelling has carried the ball 37 times for 183 yards (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  He has also caught 14 passes for 132 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.  He is a better receiver than Turner so the Falcons will probably throw the ball a bit more this year until Turner  is ready to return to action.  Jerious Norwood is also about ready to return to action after suffering a back injury earlier this year.  Norwood has carried the ball 19 times for 78 yards (4.1 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 55 yards (6.9 avg) this year.  It’s now QB Matt Ryan’s turn to step up with Turner out as the Falcons will likely be depending on the passing game more.