"After a season marred by an ankle injury, Falcons running back Michael Turner is closing in on the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second time in his career.

He was on his way to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons last year when Carolina's Chris Gamble swooped in really low and put a shot on his ankle in mid-November.

Turner suffered a high ankle sprain and never returned to full health.

"I just wanted to be here for all of the games," said Turner, who has rushed for 974 yards on 223 carries and seven touchdowns. "It was unfortunate that I got hurt last year. Now, I'm in the games and I'm being productive. That's what my team needs me to do."

Turner's bruising runs have had a cumulative effect on defenses.

Last week against Green Bay it was pretty steady. In the previous game against St. Louis on Nov. 21, he continued to chip away until he wore down the Rams. He broke loose on a 39-yard run late in the game, when the Rams didn't seem too interested in trying to tackle the hard-charging Turner.

"He's doing an excellent job," wide receiver Roddy White said. "He's so tough to tackle in the fourth quarter when everybody is kind of tired. He's just gearing up and is ready to go."

In 2008, Turner rushed for 1,699 yards on 376 carries and was named to his first Pro Bowl team. His power runs helped carry the Falcons to the playoffs. Counting the 18 runs from scrimmage in the postseason, Turner had 394 carries in 17 games."