With 1:55 remaining in Monday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Giants were a significant long shot to pull out the win. Giorgio Tavecchio had just booted a 56-yard field goal to push the Falcons lead to two possessions at 23-12.

ATLANTA—When you’ve got two teams in a must-win game in Week 7, you’re looking at two pretty ragged teams. And although the ratings for the “Monday Night Football” game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants will be just fine, if you care

Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl strong safety Keanu Neal will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Thursday's season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced. Neal twice departed the game because of left knee issues. Coach Dan Quinn said he didn't think Neal's injury was serious after Thursday's contest.

Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl strong safety Keanu Neal will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Thursday's season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced. Neal twice departed the game because of left knee issues. Coach Dan Quinn said he didn't think Neal's injury was serious after Thursday's contest.

The Falcons find themselves 0-1 heading into the Steven Jackson Bowl, with the running back facing his old team for the first time. Jackson is healthy, but two other key offensive weapons are not for the Falcons. Receivers Roddy White (ankle) and Julio Jones (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday, and both are listed as questionable, although Falcons head coach Mike Smith said White would play. [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football is open for business ] Still, White couldn’t help issue his Twitter followers some salient fantasy advice for Sunday heading into the big game. As far as fantasy if I don't participate in practice than don't start me it's a red flag — Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) September 9, 2013

COMMENTARY | The St. Louis Rams face their toughest non-divisional foe this weekend in the Atlanta Falcons, a team many pick to do big things in the playoffs. For the record -- not that anyone particularly cares -- but I picked them to win the Super Bowl this year.

(Reuters) - Following are brief profiles of the 16 teams in the National Football Conference (NFC) ahead of the 2013 National Football League (NFL) season: - - ATLANTA FALCONS Head coach: Mike Smith 2012 record: 13-3 (Won the NFC South after starting the season 8-0 before losing 28-24 to the San Francisco 49ers in second round of the playoffs) Blessed with a well-oiled passing attack effectively orchestrated by quarterback Matt Ryan, the Falcons have high hopes of going deeper into the postseason after acquiring three-time Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson in March. ...

Sept 2 (Reuters) - Following are brief profiles of the 16 teams in the National Football Conference (NFC) ahead of the 2013 National Football League (NFL) season: - - ATLANTA FALCONS Head coach: Mike Smith 2012 record: 13-3 (Won the NFC South after starting the season 8-0 before losing 28-24 to the San Francisco 49ers in second round of the playoffs) Blessed with a well-oiled passing attack effectively orchestrated by quarterback Matt Ryan, the Falcons have high hopes of going deeper into the postseason after acquiring three-time Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson in March. ...

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Anyone who bought an Osi Umenyiora No. 90 jersey after he signed with the Atlanta Falcons is going to be in for a surprise.

Forbes has released its annual tabulation of the NFL's most valuable franchises , and you can probably guess who's on top: that little ol' ballclub from Texas, once again. With a value of $2.3 billion, the Dallas Cowboys rule the roost for the seventh straight year, followed by the New England Patriots ($1.8 billion), Washington Redskins ($1.7 billion), New York Giants ($1.55 billion), and Houston Texans ($1.45 billion). Way down at the bottom? The Oakland Raiders, who are worth "only" $825 million. The rest of the bottom five, moving up the ladder, are also unsurprising: Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and St. Louis Rams. The Lions are the only team that managed to lose money in the NFL, as they have done for the last four years. Across the board, NFL teams have a mean value of $1.17 billion, a sum that far outstrips any other professional sports league. The top 20 soccer teams in the world have a mean value of $968 million, with baseball ($744 million), the NBA ($509 million), and the NHL ($282 million) trailing. The Forbes numbers are often debatable, but the trends are not: television rights are gold, and new stadiums do drive revenue. The Cowboys, Patriots, Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Rams all had double-digit gains in value, with the Patriots and Texans benefitting from new stadiums and the Rams and Falcons closing in on new ones. Combine those revenue sources with manageable cost containment from the salary cap and boundless opportunity to broadcast games on mobile devices, and you've got a league that's still on an upward trend, revenue-wise. Impressive all the way around. - - - Hit us up on Twitter @YShutdownCorner , email us at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com and "Like" Shutdown Corner on Facebook for NFL conversation 365 days a year, the way it should be.