This coming Sunday looks to be a brutal matchup for an Eagles team already plagued by injuries. Starters Jason Peters and Brodrick Bunkley have already been ruled out, and the chances for Michael Vick and Riley Cooper to make an appearance are slim at best (although Vick may dress as the emergency third QB). Rookie defensive tackle Jeff Owens will not get called to the active roster, so the Eagles will go into the game with only three active DTs. This could be an opportunity for rookie Daniel Te'o-Nesheim to see his first active game, since he has seen time at both DE and DT throughout the preseason.
Todd Herremans, LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, Nick Cole and Dimitri Patterson are all listed as probable and are expected to play through their bumps and bruises. Rookie offensive tackle Austin Howard has been battling a back injury all season, but look for him to be activated for the first time this week with Peters out.
On the Falcons side of the ball, there are a few injures worth noting. Starting linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is listed as questionable after missing an entire week's worth of practice with a knee injury. However, since backup Stephen Nicholas has been pretty solid in his absence, chances are that we won't be seeing Weatherspoon back on the field. Backup tight end Justin Peelle was limited in practice all week and is also listed as questionable for the game.
Defensive end John Abraham is the big story here, as he will be going up against the large-framed disaster known as King Dunlap. Abraham, who has accumulated four sacks so far this year, has been limited in practice all week with a sore back, and will likely be a game time decision. While the Falcons certainly don't have a drought of defenders who can attack the quarterback, Abraham's absence will certainly be felt if he can't play.