By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA
STATS Senior Writer

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons certainly need a matchup with
a weaker opponent. Facing the Washington Redskins should give
them a good chance to win, but may not help Ryan end his
struggles.

Losers of two straight for the first time under coach Mike
Smith, the Falcons hope Ryan can handle a tough defense as they
face an otherwise woeful Redskins team Sunday.

Atlanta (4-3) has struggled since winning four of its first
five, losing 37-21 to Dallas on Oct. 25 and 35-27 on Monday
night. The Falcons' defense faltered in those matchups, and Ryan
fell short in trying to compensate.

He threw three interceptions versus the Saints and was picked
off seven times over his last three games. His nine
interceptions are two shy of his total from last season, when he
was the NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Smith believes Ryan might be trying too hard.

"A lot of times it's from being competitive and wanting to make
plays," Smith said. "I think that's the thread that has run
through the interceptions that have occurred over the last three
games. Matt is very competitive and confident in himself and in
his receiving corps that we can make plays."

The Redskins have lost three straight and are 2-5 on the season,
but a bounce back game for Ryan may not come easily.

Washington's defense is ranked second against the pass, giving
up 164.9 yards per game while allowing six TDs. The Redskins are
fifth in total defense at 283.4 yards a contest and in scoring
defense at 17.6 points per game.

Washington has been more vulnerable against the run, allowing
118.5 yards a contest, but has limited opponents to three
rushing TDs.

Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, encouraged by Pro
Bowl running back Michael Turner's strong performance against
New Orleans, could go with a run-heavy game plan to take some of
the pressure off Ryan. Turner had his best game of the season
last week with 151 yards rushing and a score, and may have
helped himself by spending extra time watching film of his 2008
season, when he was the NFL's No. 2 rusher.

Atlanta will face Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who made
two Pro Bowls with the Falcons after being drafted in the first
round by them in 2004.

Hall got into a sideline shouting match with former Atlanta
coach Bobby Petrino during the '07 season and was traded to
Oakland during that offseason. This will be his first game at
the Georgia Dome since the trade.

He faced Atlanta last year in a home game while with the
Raiders, a 24-0 loss Nov. 2, 2008, and was cut after the
contest. Washington signed him days later and gave him a $54
million, six-year contract this past offseason.

"I'm not Brett Favre walking back into Lambeau, but there's
definitely going to be a little emotion tied into this thing,"
Hall said. "I saw a lot of those guys mature as players, mature
as people on and off the field. Can't wait to go out there and
mix it up with them."

Hall and the defense have tried to help Washington overcome
terrible performances offensively. The Redskins, with a
banged-up offensive line, are ranked 28th in the league with
13.7 points per game.

Left tackle Chris Samuels (neck) and right guard Randy Thomas
(triceps) are on injured reserve, and Jason Campbell has been
left with little time to pass while Clinton Portis is struggling
to find holes. Campbell has been sacked 20 times and Portis has
been held under 4.0 yards a carry in five of seven games.

"We went into the season, and we didn't address that issue,"
Portis said of the lack of depth on the line. "And it came back
to haunt us."

Even if the Redskins improve, it might not result in wins. Each
of their next five opponents has a winning record.

Washington owner Dan Snyder rarely talks during the season, but
he had some telling comments Tuesday at an event to celebrate
one of the franchise's charity programs.

"We feel frustration and are disappointed for our fans," Snyder
said. "Obviously our performance to date is not what we
expected, and we hope to turn that around."

This will be the teams' first meeting since Dec. 3, 2006, when
Atlanta won 24-14 at Washington.