(Sports Network) – Carson Palmer’s (1,287 passing yards, 7 TD, 6 INT) last game was a forgettable one, as he was intercepted a season-high three times to go with two touchdown passes against Tampa Bay. He had three picks over the first four games of the season, and his 58.7 passer rating for the day was the quarterback’s second- lowest of 2010. Palmer was picked off by Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib with Cincinnati leading 21-14, with the turnover leading to the Bucs evening the score. The Bengals still had a chance at the end, but Owens was whistled for offensive pass interference and Palmer had another ball picked off by safety Sabby Piscitelli, whose takeaway helped set up Connor Barth’s 31-yard field goal with one second left. It was Palmer’s first three-interception game since the Arizona Cardinals picked off four of his passes in November of the 2007 campaign. Cincinnati is seventh in passing, averaging 248.0 yards per contest, and will try to crack Atlanta’s 25th-rated secondary. Terrell Owens (31 receptions, 476 yards, 2 TD) needs one more touchdown catch for 150 in his career and has 11 all-time against the Falcons. He is aiming for his third straight game with at least 100 yards receiving as well and has posted 324 yards on 17 catches the past two weeks. Chad Ochocinco (26 receptions, 316 yards, 1 TD) also needs one more touchdown reception to pass Carl Pickens (63) for the franchise lead in that category.
The Falcons have had trouble in pass defense this season, allowing 239.5 yards per contest. They’re also near the bottom in yards allowed (337.3 ypg) and the Eagles racked up 474 yards on Sunday, including 320 through the air. Defensive back William Moore (21 tackles, 3 INT) posted his team-leading third interception in the loss for Atlanta, which has recorded at least one sack and interception in all six games this season. Moore’s pick of Kevin Kolb led to the Falcons’ first score of the day. Atlanta has scored 43 points off 11 takeaways this season. Speaking of having things taken away, cornerback Dunta Robinson (24 tackles) was fined $50,000 for his bone-jarring hit on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson last week and is questionable for Sunday’s game with head and leg injuries. Atlanta was victimized by the big play and allowed seven gains of 20 or more yards in Philadelphia. With Owens and Ochocinco headed south to the Georgia Dome, the Falcons can expect similar attempts from Cincinnati. Ochocinco has started trash-talking with the Falcons and reportedly sent the team T-shirts to make Sunday’s game more interesting. Abraham (13 tackles, 4 sacks), Atlanta’s best pass rusher, was shut out last week and is looking to rebound Sunday.