ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons are hoping to launch another second-half comeback. The Jaguars aren't a good place to start.

Jacksonville (6-1) is playing as well as any team in the NFL, tied for first in the AFC Central with surprising Tennessee and leading the league in two key areas: rushing and defense.

"They're the best team playing right now, offensive and defensively," Atlanta's Chuck Smith said.

The NFC champion Falcons (2-6) are coming off a 27-20 victory over Carolina and hoping to duplicate their second-half recovery of 1997, when they won six of their last eight games after starting 1-7. Over the last two seasons, Atlanta's second-half record is 14-2.

"I think this is a real key game to see if we have any chance to challenge in the second half," coach Dan Reeves said. "This is the type of team that can tell us exactly where we are. Have we made any progress over the last couple of weeks? We think we have, but this will be the best test we have received."

The Jaguars are yielding just 245 yards and 9.9 points per game, atop the NFL in both categories. That's a dramatic improvement from the last two years, when Jacksonville failed to crack the top 20.

"I think everyone was convinced and confident that the offense was going to do its thing," safety Carnell Lake said. "The big question was defense. I think we've slowly surprised people on defense and the offense is starting to come on."

The Jaguars are averaging 140.4 yards per game on the ground, even though Fred Taylor missed three games with a hamstring injury. Taylor returned for last week's 41-10 rout of Cincinnati, rushing for 128 yards even though he left in the third quarter when his legs cramped.

Taylor is hopeful he can play a full game against the Falcons if needed.

"The results were obvious," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He immediately sparked us with two long runs. He's still feeling his way back, but his big-play potential opens up avenues in other areas."

Quarterback Mark Brunell is troubled by an injury to his oblique (rib) muscle, which could make some throws painful, but won't keep him on the bench.

More seriously for the Jaguars, All-Pro left tackle Tony Boselli was questionable due to a sprained right ankle suffered midway through the fourth quarter of the last victory.

Even if Boselli does play, the Jaguars will have to shuffle their offensive line. Right tackle Rich Tylski fractured his foot late in the game and will be out four to six weeks. It means Zach Wiegert, a free-agent pickup from the Rams in the offseason, will move into the lineup.

If Boselli sits out, guard Ben Coleman would move into his spot and Quentin Neujahr also would start.

The Falcons finally showed a glimmer of promise in the victory over the Panthers. The Jamal Anderson-less running game went over 100 yards for only the second time this season; the Falcons forced five turnovers and didn't have any themselves; the defense accounted for six sacks, including three by NFC Defensive Player of the Week Smith, after managing only 13 in the first seven games.

But the game was closer than it should have been because the Falcons gave up a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and allowed the Panthers to score on a long, two-play drive late in the fourth quarter.

"I don't think we've played a complete game yet," Smith said. "If we had played a complete game, we would have blown those guys out."

Receiver Tim Dwight will be making his third NFL start, providing a needed element of speed that has been missing in the passing game since Tony Martin was released.

Dwight, who caught two touchdown passes last week, is also learning from teammate Terance Mathis that speed isn't the only thing that makes a great receiver.

"If you don't run at full speed all the time, you actually run better routes," Dwight said. "It's all a matter of how you set up the defensive backs. Terance is great at that. He'll be running along smooth, smooth, then all of a sudden, boom, he's gone. I'm trying to learn that."

JACKSONVILLE Season schedule and results

ATLANTA Season schedule and results

September 12 San Francisco W 41-3 September 19 @Carolina W 22-20 September 26 Tennessee L 19-20 October 3 @Pittsburgh W 17-3 October 11 @NY Jets W 16-6 October 17 Cleveland W 24-7 October 31 @Cincinnati W 41-10 November 7 @Atlanta 1:00pm ET November 14 Baltimore 4:05pm ET November 21 New Orleans 8:20pm ET November 28 @Baltimore 1:00pm ET December 2 Pittsburgh 8:20pm ET December 13 Denver 9:00pm ET December 19 @Cleveland 1:00pm ET December 26 @Tennessee 1:00pm ET January 2 Cincinnati 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 L 13-19 October 10 @New Orleans W 20-17 October 17 St. Louis L 13-41 October 25 @Pittsburgh L 9-13 October 31 Carolina W 27-20 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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