FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Comebacks are one thing. What Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is trying to do, in leading Atlanta to a turnaround from a 2-4 start, is a different animal entirely.

Ryan, who’s coming off his first losing season, and the Falcons are off to a 2-4 start as they prepare to face quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

But the Falcons have to overcome one of the major hurdles – injuries throughout the offensive line — that led to last season’s 4-12 season before Ryan can get the team pointed in the right direction.

Peter Konz has taken over for Joe Hawley at center. Gabe Carimi, who’s with his third team, has taken over for Lamar Holmes at right tackle. Left guard Justin Blalock missed one game with a back injury and has returned to the lineup.

The recent rash of injuries are on top of Sam Baker and Mike Johnson being lost in the exhibition season.

Konz is drawing solid reviews for his play.

“I think Pete has done a great job,” Ryan said. “Across the board I think Pete has played well the last two weeks. He’s come in and has done a great job of replacing Joe. He’s done a good job from a communications standpoint.”

The line has started strong only to fade in consecutive losses to the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.

“We’ve got to be better across the board,” Ryan said.

Ryan has been in position to lead some of his trademark fourth-quarter heroics, but was sabotaged by the line. They have been outscored 49-0 in the fourth quarter of the past three games.

“We are not playing good enough,” Ryan said. “That’s it plain and simple. We are not playing as well as we need to be playing. In order for us to win games and win games in this league, you have to finish games strong. We haven’t done a good job of that.”

The Falcons are also struggling on third down. They’ve converted just 6 of 26 over the past two games.

“I think situational football is huge,” Ryan said. “We prepare for different situations. We know that from an offensive standpoint if you are in those third-and-10 plus or third-and-9 plus, your chance of converting go way down. We’ve got to do a better job of first and second down and then when we are in those third and manageables, we’ve got to execute at a high level.”

The Falcons’ offensive tackles, Carimi and rookie Jake Matthews, are also buckling. Matthews is trying to play with an ankle injury that is hurting his ability to anchor.

But Ryan, who’s now the unquestioned leader of the Falcons, believes the mistakes are curable.

“Sure, it’s always tough when you’re putting in the work and you’re not getting the results that you want,” Ryan said. “It’s tough. It’s tough in this league to win week to week. In order for us to be where we want to be at the end of the season, we’ve got to be mentally tough and be able to get through it. You just have to keep your head down and keep working. Keep believing in preparation and what you are doing during the course of the week.”

After a three-game losing streak, there is a sense of urgency surrounding the team.

“Certainly, you talk to the young guys about the length of the season,” Ryan said. “Some of the best advice that I got when I first came into the league was that all of these games count as one. It doesn’t matter if you string together 10 in the first 10 or 10 in the last 10. You’ve got to string them together at some point.

“We’ve got 10 in front of us and we’ve got to find a way to get a win this week, chalk up another one and the move forward to the next week. I think our young guys have brought into understanding that there has to be a sense of urgency. They understand that we have to take care of business right now.”

SERIES HISTORY: The series is tied 2-2, with the Falcons winning the last match 26-21 in 2010. In that game, quarterback Matt Ryan connected with wide receiver Roddy White with 20 seconds to play to lift the Falcons to the victory.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Falcons CB Desmond Trufant, second-year cornerback who had a role in the 74-yard Jay Cutler to Alshon Jeffery play last week, vs. Ravens WR Torrey Smith, who has 15 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns: While the Ravens have relied more on the run under offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, Smith remains a vital cog in the deep passing attack. After a slow start, Smith has come on strong. He had four catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns last week against Tampa Bay. Trufant has played well over 431 snaps, most on the Atlanta defense.

Falcons RT Gabe Carimi, who is coming off a tough game where he allowed two hurries, two hits and two sacks against Chicago, vs. Ravens OLB Tyrell Suggs, who has 1.5 sacks: Carimi has taken over the right tackle spot with a season-ending injury to Lamar Holmes. He has been serviceable, but will be over his skis against Suggs, who appears recovered from his groin injury.

Falcons LT Jake Matthews, who’s playing on a bad right ankle, vs. Ravens DE Elvis Dumervil, who leads the team with five sacks: Matthews has tried to play the last two weeks on a bad ankle after missing the Minnesota game. He gave up seven pressures and two sacks against the Bears. He had problems with Jared Allen’s bull rush.