Panthers shoot for 3-0 start against Vick-less Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will attempt to get to .500 and avoid an 0-2 start within the NFC South Sunday when they play the unbeaten Panthers at Ericsson Stadium. The Falcons have lost two straight leaving coach Dan Reeves stuck on 199 career coaching victories. To win his 200th game this week, Reeves will need much better play from quarterback Doug Johnson and his running backs.

Atlanta's lone offensive score against Tampa Bay last week was a two-yard drive set up by a fumble return. The Falcons get no break this week when they travel up I-85 and enter a hornet's nest. The Panthers look to have a top defense again this season and the players and fans will be looking to get even for a pair of blowout losses to Atlanta last year.

"We haven't beaten them in six games, counting the two that I was involved in last year," Carolina coach John Fox said. "I would think anybody that was part of that team a year ago, that would probably mean something to them."

Defensive lineman Brentson Buckner certainly remembers the feeling in the teams' first matchup in Atlanta last year -- a 30-0 victory for the Falcons.

"You got down there and you're in the [Georgia] dome, Michael Vick was coming back from injury, he makes a play, the crowd gets into it, everybody fed off it," Buckner said. "It was like being behind enemy lines, like being in 'Blackhawk Down.' We're taking shots from everywhere."

Vick won't be playing Sunday, as backup Doug Johnson will face Carolina's fierce front four and a hostile crowd. Johnson struggled the past two weeks and has seven interceptions already this season.

SERIES HISTORY: The Falcons lead the all-time series with the Panthers 11-5 and have won the past six meetings and nine of the last 10.

As bad as the Panthers were beaten in Atlanta, they were pounded even more at home against the Falcons. The teams last played on November 24, 2002 with the Falcons delivering a 41-0 thrashing.

Fox is 0-2 versus the Falcons. Reeves has a 9-4 career mark against Carolina.

FALCONS OFFENSE VS. PANTHERS DEFENSE

Johnson has completed only 55 percent of his passes this year. If he has some time to throw he should do better against Carolina. A more consistent running game would also help. The Falcons could not run at all against the Buccaneers last week.

The Panthers are ranked fourth against the rush, yielding an average of 67.5 yards per game. Carolina's D-line is every bit as good if not better than Tampa Bay's, but the Panthers don't have the speed or depth at linebacker that the Bucs have.

That should give Atlanta an opportunity to run Warrick Dunn outside. The Panthers are fresh off their bye week and a Week 2 victory over the Bucs, but they lost backup defensive end Kavika Pittman for the season in that game. His absence will leave Mike Rucker -- an excellent speed rusher who takes advantage of double teams on linemate Julius Peppers -- on the field more against LT Bob Whitfield, who is Atlanta's best offensive lineman. The Falcons need to consistently win that matchup.

The Falcons' big leads against the Panthers last year led to 86 rushing attempts in the two games. Atlanta doesn't need to run that much, but it must stick with the run to slow Carolina's pass rush and give Johnson a chance to throw the football. Vick was able to scramble for big gains last year, but Johnson is strictly a pocket passer and easier to prepare for.

"Vick is a little bit unique as far as his running capability as a quarterback," Fox said. "I don't think anybody in the league is quite like him as far as that dimension. They are a little bit more typical of most teams now as far as the quarterback position."

Reeves can live with typical, but not with bad decisions. The inability to run has hurt Johnson a lot. Forced into long-yardage situations, he has tossed six interceptions and made poor decisions this year. Reeves said that is the area Johnson, who has just four career starts, must improve most.

"We've had seven interceptions in three games. We can't afford to do that. We've got to make teams earn what they get, and then we have a chance," Reeves said. "If you look at Brad Johnson, a lot of times he threw it in the stands. And that's a good play because you're battling field position and you don't take the chance of giving the other team the ball. Doug is working at it, and he understands that those are the things he has to do."

Wide receiver Peerless Price, Atlanta's marquee offseason addition, called for the ball more last week after catching just four passes in the first two games. He had six catches against the Bucs, but was still a non-factor. The Falcons also didn't try to run T.J. Duckett, their biggest back, last week. Reeves understands the desire to get those players more touches as well as Dunn and TE Alge Crumpler, who leads all tight ends with 178 receiving yards, but says the O-line and Johnson have to play better for those things to happen.

"I'd like to get T.J. the ball, I'd like to get Peerless the ball, I'd like to get Warrick the ball. I'd like to get Alge the ball, I'd like for Doug to make a few easy throws," Reeves admitted. "All of those things. But it doesn't happen unless the guys up front are doing what they're supposed to do and regardless of what's called whether it be a run or a pass, I'd like for us to settle in and move the football, rather than being three-and-out and all of a sudden your defense is back on the field.

"So whatever it takes, we've got to do those things. And like I said we all understand what we're trying to do, and we've just got to do a better job than what we're doing. I'd like to have him get in a rhythm where he feels comfortable throwing the ball and hitting those plays when he has the opportunity; but also not taking a chance when he doesn't have the opportunity."

PANTHERS OFFENSE VS. FALCONS DEFENSE

Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme has worse stats than Johnson. His QB rating is 31st in the league ahead of only Donovan McNabb. Except for a pick in Tampa Bay territory, Delhomme has avoided the big mistake and the team has reacted well to his leadership since he rallied them to a Week 1 win over Jacksonville.

"There is plenty of room for improvement, but he played well enough for us to win," Fox said of Delhomme's recent performance. "When you assess every position, there is still improvement to be made. There is an old adage in this league: 'If you are not getting better, you are getting worse.' We have got a lot of work yet to do. We have only played two games. It is what it is. We have got a lot of work to do and a lot of games to play."

The bye week should have helped Delhomme get his timing down better with his receivers, but the Panthers' offense relies on RB Stephen Davis. Through two games he has given the Panthers exactly what they were looking for when they signed him as a free agent.

Davis, who has topped the 100-yard mark in each of his first two games with Carolina, slammed the ball through the middle of Tampa Bay's defense for 142 yards. Atlanta will put eight men in the box to try and corral Davis and force Delhomme to throw. Delhomme has a talented group of receivers and should be able to take advantage of single coverage, but Atlanta's 3-4 defensive alignment could present a unique challenge.

"The 3-4 can present a problem," Delhomme admitted. "[The Falcons] have some good linemen who play with a high motor. They get after it with [Keith] Brooking and [Patrick] Kearney and Brady Smith. I'm not leaving out anyone on purpose. It just seems like those guys are the heart of the defense. Each team is going to be different in playing the four-man front or three-man front by personnel. With the 3-4, you have a little more speed off the edges. They can bring their linebackers off the edges and do some things in the middle, crossing both linebackers inside. But if we just follow our rules of blocking that the coach is going to give us in preparation, then it's almost like playing against the 4-3, except you have one guy standing up instead of having his hand on the ground. That's how I try to look at it. Look at it in its simplest terms. If you look at it too much, you're going to drive yourself crazy."

Muhsin Muhammad is the Panthers' big receiver and Steve Smith is the speed man. Atlanta corners Tyrone Williams and former Pro Bowler Ray Buchanan have struggled early and Carolina should be able to take advantage of the man coverage Wade Phillips employs.

For a 2-0 team, Carolina has committed a lot of penalties, especially on offense. Being at home should help some. Delhomme also needs to use Davis and No. 3 receiver Ricky Proehl underneath to mix things up and set up favorable third-down situations.