New England's No. 1 corner did a nice job a week ago against Vincent Jackson. Will he be asked to man up with Falcons young playmaker Julio Jones, a big-play weapon who's tied for the NFL lead with 27 catches?

Jones has been getting to the quarterback with regularity in recent weeks. He will either face a banged up Sam Baker or young fill-in Lamar Holmes. Either way it's a matchup that Jones needs to win to make life tough on Matt Ryan.

Will he play or won't he? No one really knows, but if Gronk can get back on the field it would go a long way toward curing New England's 32nd-ranked red zone woes and giving the Patriots a chance to win on the road.

With Sebastian Vollmer nursing a foot injury and missing two days of practice this week, Cannon could make just his second-career start at right tackle. Though it won't come against a great defense, on the road in a loud dome still makes it a tough spot for the relatively inexperienced third-year player.

The second-year running back had a huge impact last weekend against the Bucs. He can contribute on all three downs but has never really had consecutive impact games in his young career. The new-look New England offense could use just that on Sunday night in Atlanta.

Jones is one of the game's truly elite receivers and playmakers. He has the size and speed to make life tough on Aqib Talib and the rest of a Patriots secondary that's gotten off to a decent start, but has yet to face a challenge like Jones and the rest of the Atlanta attack.

Ryan is easily the best quarterback the Patriots have faced. He's one of just six guys with a passer rating greater than 100 through three games. He's a completely different beast for the New England pass defense to deal with in this measuring-stick matchup.

Filling in for the injured Steven Jackson last week, Rodgers had a productive 86 yards against the Dolphins. Though he's more a scat back than a lead horse, he could be Atlanta's best option to stay balanced on offense.

White has been one of the game's elite targets in recent years and a big part of what's made the Falcons dangerous. But he's dealt with an ankle injury this year that's really slowed his production. New England can't let this be the game in which he looks like his old self.

Old friend Samuel hasn't played a ton this season, but remains a big time ball hawk. With some of the inconsistencies of the Patriots passing game, a miscommunication in Samuel's area could easily turn into a pick-six.