The Atlanta Falcons need a win to stay on top of the NFC South. The Cincinnati Bengals need a win to keep alive any hope of getting back on top of the AFC North.
After having their four-game winning streak snapped last week, the Falcons will look to get back on track Sunday while the Bengals head to the Georgia Dome desperate for a win to keep pace with division leader Pittsburgh and second-place Baltimore.
Coming off a bye week following a 24-21 loss to Tampa Bay, the defending AFC North champion Bengals (2-3) are already two full games behind Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati has struggled to find consistency and balance on offense, ranking 17th in scoring at 20 points per game.
Running back Cedric Benson, who carried the offense last season, has averaged only 3.9 yards per carry - though he broke out for a season-high 144 rushing yards against the Buccaneers - and the passing game hasn't been as explosive as expected with Carson Palmer throwing to star receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
Owens has two consecutive 100-yard games, and he needs one touchdown to become the fifth player in NFL history with 150 career touchdowns.
Palmer threw three interceptions against Tampa Bay - one that was returned for a touchdown in the first half and two in the fourth quarter that allowed the Bucs to rally for 10 points in the final two minutes.
Atlanta leads the NFL with 11 interceptions, but its secondary was torched for 326 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 31-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, and the Falcons could be without cornerback Dunta Robinson against the Bengals.
Robinson suffered a concussion delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit to Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson - the hit earned him a $50,000 fine and could keep him out of Sunday's game.
The Falcons (4-2) gave up a season-high 474 yards and gained a season-low 293 yards against the Eagles, but they're hopeful a return home will turn things around. Quarterback Matt Ryan is 15-1 as a starter at the Georgia Dome and has won his last 11 home starts.
Ryan has some weapons at his disposal. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Tony Gonzalez last week, Roddy White leads the NFC in catches (43) and receiving yards (546), and Michael Jenkins led the team with five catches for 99 yards in his first action of the season after missing the first five games with a shoulder injury.
But the Falcons' strength is their ground game, and they hope to get Michael Turner back on track after he was held to 45 yards on 15 carries last week. Turner has averaged 103.7 rushing yards per game and scored 18 touchdowns in 15 home games since joining the Falcons.
The Falcons have won three of the past five meetings, but the teams haven't met since 2006, when Atlanta won 29-27 behind a big game from Michael Vick.