23-year old rookie safety Jairus Byrd was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.  Byrd was one of only three rookies (Texans’ LB Brian Cushing and Redskins’ rookie LB Brian Orakpo) to make the Pro Bowl.  Byrd played in 14 games for the Bills this season and he made 45 tackles, defensed 11 passes and he intercepted 9 passes (118 return yards).  Byrd will be a big part of the future of the Bills’ D.

28-year old safety George Wilson came into this season having played in 31 games in the NFL making 64 tackles, defensing 4 passes, he had 1.5 sacks and 2 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  But, this season Wilson got moved into the starting line-up because of injuries and responded big time for the Bills.  Wilson has played in 15 games for the Bills this season and he has made 98 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 6 passes defensed, 1 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions.  Wilson has solidified himself as a starting player in the NFL after his outstanding 2009 season.

The Bills were simply awful on both sides of the football in the game yesterday.  Brian Brohm got his first NFL start and he did not play well completing 17 of 29 passes for 146 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Fred Jackson led the way on the ground for the Bills yesterday with 13 carries for 39 yards (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  But, he also lost a fumble that Falcons’ DE Lawrence Sidbury returned 11 yards for a TD.  Lee Evans (5 rec, 43 yards) and Terrell Owens (4 rec, 39 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bills yesterday.  The Bills finished up with only 178 total yards on offense (40 rushing, 138 passing) in this game.

Linebacker Nic Harris made the most of the playing time he got yesterday leading the Bills with 12 tackles including 1 tackle for a loss.  DE Aaron Schobel also came to play for the Bills yesterday with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit.  The Falcons finished up with 391 total  yards on offense (157 rushing, 234 passing) in this game.  The Bills are now 5-10 on the year.

The Buffalo Bills appear to be in trouble in this game as it is looking like Brian Brohm will get his first NFL start.  That means the Bills will likely turn to Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch to carry the load on offense.  The Falcons are allowing 116.5 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry this season but they will likely have an extra defender or two in the box to deal with the run.  That would force the Bills to attack the Falcons’ secondary which is their weak point.  However, Bills’ QBs have been sacked 44 times already this season which means that Brohm will have to make quick decisions.  It is still possible that Ryan Fitzpatrick could play in this game but it’s very unlikely.

Even with Michael Turner out of action the Falcons will likely try to run a balanced offense as Jason Snelling could have a big game against a Bills’ D that is allowing 165.6 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry this year.  Still, the Bills must worry about stopping Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White if they want to compete in this football game and that will be easier said than done without safety Jairus Byrd.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 33, BILLS 13

Fred Jackson is the main ball carrier on offense and he is returning kickoffs for the Bills too.  Jackson has played in all 14 games for the Bills this season and he has carried the ball 191 times for 811 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 42 passes for 342 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jackson is a good special teams player too.  He has returned 36 kickoffs for 928 yards (25.8 avg) and 6 punts for 69 yards (11.5 avg).  He has now touched the ball 275 times for the Bills this season and he has 2,150 all-purpose yards (7.8 yards per touch) and 3 total TDs.  That breaks down to 153.6 all-purpose yards per game for Jackson as he has been the most consistent player on the offense this season for the Bills.