ATLANTA (AP) -- Confused. Desperate. Stunned.

All describe the state of the Atlanta Falcons, who have taken only three weeks to plunge from a team relishing its first Super Bowl to the nadir of facing a virtual must-win situation Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

"Everybody is shocked," cornerback Ray Buchanan said. "I don't think anybody expected us to be 0-3, especially coming off the type of season we had last year."

This hardly looks like the same team that won the NFC championship just 8{ months ago before losing to Denver in the Super Bowl. Jamal Anderson is out for the season with a knee injury. Chris Chandler, hobbling on a bad hamstring, isn't expected to play. The defensive line is battered.

"Winning breeds confidence, losing brings around the wrong kinds of things: people second-guessing you, people talking about how bad you are playing," coach Dan Reeves said. "That is constantly all you read and all you hear. Until you start winning, those attitudes are very difficult to change. ... We need a win bad."

The Dirty Birds bandwagon already has lost thousands of fans, quickly turning their attention to other pursuits. The Braves are making another trip to the baseball playoffs, Georgia and Georgia Tech both have Top 10 college football teams, and the NHL expansion Thrashers were playing their first game Saturday night before a sold-out crowd.

The Falcons? Just a few days before their game, some 17,000 tickets were still available at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome.

"That's probably to be expected in the city we live in," Buchanan said. "But we're just trying to win a game. We can't worry about the fans."

If there is some consolation, the Falcons aren't the only top team that has fallen apart in 1999. The Super Bowl champion Broncos are 0-3, as is the team they beat in the AFC title game, the New York Jets. The Vikings, who went 15-1 before losing to Atlanta in the NFC championship game, are 1-2.

The Ravens (1-2) escaped the winless ranks last week, slipping by expansion Cleveland 17-10. Coach Brian Billick isn't looking at the Falcons' record.

"They can look around the league and see what is happening," he said. "Nobody is out of it. Everybody is beating everybody. There is a lot happening in the NFL right now."

Stoney Case made his first start at quarterback for the Ravens, rushing for two touchdowns, but also throwing three interceptions. Billick is making some adjustments to his offense, hoping to take advantage of Case's athletic skills.

"I've never quite had a quarterback like this," Billick said. "I've had some athletic quarterbacks, but I've never had a guy with the kind of versatility Stoney Case has. So, I have to adapt my thinking a little bit and it will be a progression finding the best fit for Stoney."

Case signed with the Ravens after being cut by Indianapolis just two weeks into training camp. He began the season as a backup, but took over when Scott Mitchell completed just 43 percent and was intercepted four times in two games.

"I had a lot of catching up to do. I was just trying to get a job, trying to make the team," said Case, who has played only six NFL games since entering the league in 1995. "Now, six weeks later, I'm starting."

Atlanta has struggled in virtually every area that was a strength on the way to the Super Bowl.

The Falcons have committed eight turnovers and created only two after leading the league in turnover differential a year ago. They have averaged more than five minutes less in time of possession than their opponent, another NFL-leading category in 1998. They have gotten just two sacks from the "Bomb Squad" defensive line.

Chandler injured his hamstring in the season opener, sat out a Monday night loss to Dallas and tried to return last week against St. Louis, probably too soon. He was knocked out in the first half of a humiliating 35-7 loss.

If Chandler can't play, Tony Graziani will make his second start at QB. He completed 14 of 22 for 152 yards against the Rams, including the first TD of his three-year career.

The defensive line is also a concern. End Chuck Smith has been bothered all season by a sore toe, limiting his effectiveness. Tackle Shane Dronett (calf) is doubtful, which may force the Falcons to move Lester Archambeau from end to tackle and give extensive playing time to rookie Patrick Kerney, their first-round pick.

"We have got to look at everybody," Reeves said. "If you are breathing, you can play line this week."

BALTIMORE Season schedule and results

ATLANTA Season schedule and results

September 12 @St. Louis L 10-27 September 19 Pittsburgh L 20-23 September 26 Cleveland W 17-10 October 3 @Atlanta 1:00pm ET October 10 @Tennessee 4:15pm ET October 21 Kansas City 8:20pm ET October 31 Buffalo 1:00pm ET November 7 @Cleveland 1:00pm ET November 14 @Jacksonville 4:05pm ET November 21 @Cincinnati 4:05pm ET November 28 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET December 5 Tennessee 1:00pm ET December 12 @Pittsburgh 1:00pm ET December 19 New Orleans 1:00pm ET December 26 Cincinnati 1:00pm ET January 2 @New England 1:00pm ET

September 12 Minnesota L 14-17 September 20 @Dallas L 7-24 September 26 @St. Louis L 7-35 October 3 Baltimore 1:00pm ET October 10 @New Orleans 1:00pm ET October 17 St. Louis 1:00pm ET October 25 @Pittsburgh 9:00pm ET October 31 Carolina 1:00pm ET November 7 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET November 21 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET November 28 @Carolina 8:20pm ET December 5 New Orleans 1:00pm ET December 12 @San Francisco 4:15pm ET December 19 @Tennessee 1:00pm ET December 26 Arizona 1:00pm ET January 3 San Francisco 9:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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