Beware triple threat

Falcons coach Mike Smith has a healthy respect for the St. Louis offense, including wide receiver Torry Holt. Holt moved into 11th place on the NFL's all-time receptions list last week. He has 855 career catches.

"Torry is still a very dangerous receiver," Smith said. "I think Marc Bulger is a dangerous quarterback. Steven Jackson is an outstanding running back. They have a three-headed monster that can create a lot of problems."

Bulger isn't piling up the yardage, but he's still accurate.

Jackson ran for 108 yards last week and has 879 on the season.

"He's a big, strong back," Smith said. "He has very good vision. You don't want to get him rolling. You want to make sure that you contain him because he can go the distance."

CHECK OUT LITTLE HOWIE

Rookie tackles 4-3 learning curve

One of the bright spots for the Rams has been the play of rookie defensive lineman Chris Long, the No. 2 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He's not turning in a monster season, but he is showing promise.

"Chris has done well," St. Louis coach Jim Haslett said. "He's getting better every week that he steps out there."

Long, the former Virginia standout and son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, leads the Rams with 15 quarterback pressures and has four sacks.

"He's a guy that's never played in a 4-3 [defense]," Haslett said. "He played in a 3-4. So it's a new learning experience for him. But I think the guy is going to be a heck of player in the future."

Long admits that it's been a long rookie campaign.

"Every day is a new challenge," Long said. "It's a new thing to learn. If you approach it like you're trying to learn, then you should be OK."

DON'T MENTION THE L-WORD

Goal No. 1: End it well

Falcons coach Mike Smith wants no part of his team suffering a letdown this week.

With the No. 2 playoff seed on the line, the Falcons can't afford to look past the 2-13 Rams.

The Rams won the first two games under interim coach Jim Haslett, but then preceded to lose their next nine.

"Our guys are very task-oriented," Smith said. "They are task masters. They want and know what this game means for us. We want to finish the regular season out the right way."

WORKING ON THE RUN GAME

You can bet it'll be a rush

The Falcons want to fine-tune their running game going into the playoffs.

The Rams have the 28th-ranked (out of 32) defense against the run. They give up 147.5 yards per game.

The Falcons have led the league in rushing for most of the season. But after Minnesota held them to 98 yards rushing last week, they dropped to fifth overall, 145.3 yards per game.

The Rams are preparing for a heavy dose of running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood.

"We've got to stop their run game," Rams defensive end Chris Long said. "That's kind of their staple. Matt [Ryan] can definitely beat you, but they don't even have to beat you with Matt sometimes because they run the ball so effectively."

If the Falcons get up big, they may use Jason Snelling to finish the game, like he did against Oakland.

RECORD WATCH

Plenty riding on this one

The Falcons are closing in on several milestones in this game.

* Wide receiver Roddy White needs 25 yards to break the team's 27-year-old single-season mark for receiving yards.

* The punt coverage unit could break the league mark for fewest punt return yards given up in a season. The mark of 53 is currently held by the 1991 Buffalo Bills.

The Falcons, working off Michael Koenen's punts, have given up just 49 punt return yards.

* Kicker Jason Elam has 122 points this season and needs a big game to catch Jay Feely's most-points-in-a-season record (138 points), set in 2002.

* Matt Ryan can become the first rookie quarterback to finish a season having played in all 16 games and thrown fewer than 15 interceptions. Only three quarterbacks --- Rick Mirer, Peyton Manning and David Carr --- have started 16 games as a rookie, and none has thrown fewer than 15 picks. Ryan has nine interceptions. Baltimore's Joe Flacco, who has 12 interceptions, could join Ryan.

MATCHUP

* Favorite: Falcons by 14 1/2

* Series record: Rams lead 47-24-2

* Last meeting: Rams 28, Falcons 16, Dec. 16, 2007

* Notes: Rams WR Donnie Avery ranks second among NFC rookie receivers with 48 catches and 634 yards receiving. ... In three career starts against Atlanta, Marc Bulger has nailed 70 of 100 passes for 936 yards. ... A win and a loss by Carolina at New Orleans gives Atlanta NFC South title and first-round bye.

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