Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Carolina 0 at Atlanta 30 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Carolina Panthers: The Falcons defense dominated the Carolina offense in this game. Give credit to both the effective defense and the ineffective Panther offense for the outcome. QB Chris Weinke started the game and couldn't move the Carolina offense. He left the game late in the second quarter with a concussion after managing only 26 yards passing and was replaced by Randy Fasani. Fasani didn't fare much better moving the Carolina offense, but was effective scrambling with the ball and avoiding the tough Falcon pass rush. The Carolina running backs and wide receivers were completely ineffective in this game, largely due to the problems at the quarterback position and a tough Falcon defense. Lamar Smith had only 19 yards and a paltry 2.3 YPC average. Nick Goings came in the game in the fourth quarter in an effort to spark the offense. Atlanta Falcons: FB Bob Christian left the game after a concussion and was taken to the hospital. QB Mike Vick continued his solid play in this game and didn't show any signs that his injured left shoulder bothered him. He had a number of nice runs, including a 44-yard touchdown. His athleticism simply makes things possible. Doug Johnson replaced him in the fourth quarter, but it was just a precautionary measure with the Falcons up 24 points. RBs Warrick Dunn and TJ Duckett continued to split the workload in the backfield. In the first half, Duckett looked great in every aspect of the game and drew comparisons to Jerome Bettis from the announcers who jokingly referred to him as the "Diesel". However, Duckett was limited in the second half with a sprained foot. The Falcons spread the ball around and nine players caught passes. TE Reggie Kelly started the game over Alge Crumpler and WR Willie Jackson had a 68-yard pass negated by a penalty. WR Trevor Gaylor saw action in the game and made the most of his opportunities. PK Jay Feely finished the game with three field goals over 40 yards. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Carolina Panthers QB: Chris Weinke started the game and went three and out on the first series. On the next series he missed a wide open Muhsin Muhammad deep along the sidelines. Weinke wasn't able to get the Panthers offense moving, and finished the first half with only 26 yards passing before leaving late in the second quarter after taking a shot to the head. Randy Fasani came in and scrambled two plays in a row for a first down before taking a sack on the next play. Fasani didn't fare much better than Weinke, but was able to make some things happen with his scrambling ability. He finished the game with 100 yards passing and 58 yards rushing. WR: Muhsin Muhammad made a nice nine-yard catch on a third down play in the first quarter for his only catch in the half. He was not a major contributor in the game. Steve Smith didn't have a catch in the first half. He had a 20-yard catch in the second half. WR Isaac Byrd did not play with an abdominal strain. RB: Lamar Smith got the call early as the Panthers tried to establish the run. Unfortunately for the Panthers, it didn't work. Smith never was able to get going and the Falcon rush defense held him in check. He didn't look particularly good running the football, and looks slow to the line of scrimmage. He finished the game with only 19 yards rushing. Nick Goings came in the game in the fourth quarter in an effort to spark the offense and looked better running the ball than Smith. Brad Hoover got the call on an early screen pass, but was used primarily as a blocker. TE: Wesley Walls didn't have a catch in the first half. Walls finally got a catch in the second half for 24 yards but was held back by the ineffective Carolina QB play. K: John Kasay was not a factor in the game. Panthers Pass Defense: The Panthers kept Vick moving around early in the game, and Peppers registered a sack in the first half. They got a big shot on Vick early in the second quarter but Vick was fine. In the second half, they couldn't contain Vick and he scrambled all over the field for big gains. Vick took over the game. Panthers Rush Defense: The Panthers rush defense was able to hold Duckett and Dunn in check early in the game despite missing two starting linebackers. Backup LB Will Witherspoon had six solo tackles and an assist in the first half of the game. In the second half, the defense was on the field a lot and the Falcon rushing game found room to run. It seemed as if they were on the field for the entire second half as the Falcons dominated time of possession. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Atlanta Falcons QB: Mike Vick started as expected and ran a bootleg on the first play. He had a circus 16-yard gain on a play where the ball was tipped at the line, caught by a lineman, flipped back to Vick who took off running. His athleticism simply makes things possible. In the second quarter, Vick took a big shot and seemed to respond just fine, and it didn't appear his left shoulder was a factor at all. Vick threw five straight incomplete passes at one point in the second quarter, and has a tendency to float the ball occasionally. He managed only 88 yards passing in the first half against the stingy Panther's defense. In the second half, Vick continued to make plays with his athleticism, including a 24-yard run on a busted play and a 44-yard touchdown run. Vick took over the game in the third quarter and took advantage of the Carolina defense as it tired. Doug Johnson replaced him in the fourth quarter, but it was just a precautionary measure with the Falcons up 24 points. WR: Brian Finneran was targeted a few times in the first half, but didn't connect for any catches. Finneran finally had a catch in the third quarter, but it was negated by a penalty. He was held without a catch as the Falcons spread the ball around. Shawn Jefferson started the game opposite Brian Finneran but had only one catch in the first half and a couple more in the second half. Willie Jackson caught a 68-yard pass from Vick in the late second quarter that was brought back because of holding. Trevor Gaylor made a tremendous run after the catch in the second quarter to get the first down on a third and long. It was only his second catch of the year. He finished the day with three catches for 38 yards and made the most of the opportunities he was given. RB: Warrick Dunn came in on the first series on second down and long. He got the carry and gained one yard, and stayed in on third and long. Dunn was later a target on a deep route in the end zone in the late first quarter. He had a nine-yard run called back in the second quarter and an eight-yard run called back in the third quarter for holding. Dunn started out in the backfield in the third quarter with Duckett on the sideline with a sore foot. Dunn looked fine in the game, but was overshadowed by the solid play of backfield mate TJ Duckett. TJ Duckett started the game and had a nice run for eight yards on his first carry. He had a nice stiff arm later in the second series. In the second quarter, Duckett had another stiff arm and a great long run along the sidelines. Duckett's touchdown in the second quarter came on a play where he bounced outside and showed good speed. In the second half, Duckett got the call twice in a row near the goal line for his second touchdown of the game. Duckett's role was limited in the second half with a sprained foot. He looks good running the ball, and drew comparisons to Jerome Bettis from the announcers who jokingly called him "the Diesel". FB Bob Christian took a nasty shot in the third quarter to his head, and had to leave the game. He was taken to the hospital with a concussion. TE Brian Kozlowski lined up in the FB position to fill in for Christian. TE: Reggie Kelly started the game and was wide open in the middle for a 24-yard strike from Vick. Alge Crumpler was also involved in the game and had a great one hand grab in the third quarter off a tipped ball for a 22-yard gain. K: Jay Feely connected on his first attempt from 41 yards for the only score in the first quarter. He later made a 45-yard attempt and a 49-yard attempt that hit the upright and floated in. Falcons Pass Defense: The Falcons started the game getting pressure on Weinke and forcing him to make quick decisions. DE Patrick Kerney got to Weinke for a sack on third down with a great speed rush and the Falcons opened up the second half with another sack. The Falcons might have had a touchdown on a wide receiver screen that looked like a lateral pass going backwards, but was ruled an incomplete pass. Ray Buchanan's first game back was a success with strong defensive play and a nice diving interception after a tipped ball. Falcons Rush Defense: The Falcons rush defense looked good in this game and held Lamar Smith to only 18 yard rushing on seven carries in the first half. The Falcons allowed only 57 total yards and 4 first downs in the first half. In the second half, it was more of the same, and Smith finished with a paltry 2.3 YPC average. The Falcons defense dominated this game.