National Football League

4 wins net early respect in league

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:15 a.m. ET

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FLOWERY BRANCH --- The Falcons, off to a 4-1 start for the second consecutive season, are commanding some early respect around the league.

"You have to look at them as the top NFC team right now by the way they are playing," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. "Not just by record, but by their production."

The Falcons face the Eagles at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Last season, the Eagles throttled a hobbled Falcons team 34-7 at the Georgia Dome.

After the 4-1 start in 2009, the Falcons were beset with a rash of injuries to key players and couldn't recover. By the time they faced the Eagles on Dec. 6, they were 6-5 and without quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner, right guard Harvey Dahl and wide receiver Michael Jenkins.

"They went into overtime with Pittsburgh in the first game and since then, they've been flawless," Reid said. "Realistically they could be undefeated had things worked out better in the overtime against Pittsburgh."

The Falcons remember how things caved in on them after last year's start. "Right now, it's so early to tell who is the best team wherever," Ryan said.

"Five games into it, we've put ourselves in good position, but there is a lot of football to be played."

Weatherspoon out

Rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon suffered a sprained right knee last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. He didn't practice with the team Wednesday and will be held out of today's practice.

"We'll look at what happens on Friday and Saturday and make a determination," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

Weatherspoon, the team's first-round pick in the 2010 draft out of Missouri, has started four games at strongside linebacker and is third on the team with 32 tackles.

He suffered an ankle injury against New Orleans on Sept. 26. He missed the San Francisco game and returned against Cleveland before being injured in the third quarter.

Palmer's big catch

Rookie tight end Michael Palmer made his first NFL reception against Cleveland.

On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Ryan threw a pass to Palmer and he picked up 11 yards for a first down. Palmer, who played at Parkview High and at Clemson, made the team as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Etc.

Smith named William Moore the starter at strong safety. Erik Coleman will serve as a backup to Moore and Thomas DeCoud. ... The Falcons rank second in the league in interception percentage, picking off 10 passes in 168 attempts (6 percent). ... The Falcons' 11 sacks tie them for sixth in the NFC and eighth overall in the league. ... In 56 possessions, the Falcons have had 10 drives ending with a three-and-out. The Falcons rank third in the NFL in third-down percentage, converting 46.3 percent.

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