The Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers have battled it out since the cats were enfranchised into the NFL in 1995, both competing in the old NFC West. The rivalry has had its share of blow outs, close games, and big plays. The first meeting led to an overtime win by the Falcons 30-23 in Atlanta. Although many Falcons consider the New Orleans Saints to be their primary rival, Atlanta has come to be the biggest rival for the Panthers. I have read articles stating that Carolina’s biggest rivalry is with the Pewter Pirates, but I just don’t believe that, they didn’t start playing regularly until the 2002 realignment. One of the biggest reasons why the rivalry hasn’t grown even more is the fact that one team is usually significantly better than the other. If one team is leading the division the other seemingly is always bringing up the rear. The series has also seen its share of streaks, from 1998 to 2002, Atlanta punished Carolina winning 9 out of 10 matchups, including a streak of 6 Falcon victories from 2000 through 2002. The Dirty Birds lead the overall series record 18-12.
Some of the biggest plays have happened when these two teams square off. One of these big plays was what I consider THE superman play by Michael Vick, a play that made your jaw drop because some how his knee never hit the ground on the dive towards the endzone for the score to send it into overtime. If you want to see the play it’s #2 on the following highlight:
One of the biggest plays in recent years came two years ago in the Georgia Dome when Harry Douglas returned a punt for a 60-yard TD to blow the game wide open. One of the biggest player rivalries if you will grew between Julius Peppers and Michael Vick, which reappeared in Chicago three weeks ago.
This year’s first installment is a perfect of the one team up the other down philosophy to the series. Sunday’s matchup pits an 10-2 Falcons team on top of the NFC heading to Charlotte to face the 1-11 Panthers, who have faced their share of injuries this season. It’s possible that the largest margin of victory in the series could be challenged after being set in 2002 with a 41-0 victory for ATL. One reason for a possible blow out is the rushing defense currently ranked 27th in the league. If the Falcons can commit pound the ball, wearing down the defense and sucking the safeties for added support, the deep ball should open up nicely. The Panthers’ offense has looked anemic at best throughout the season. I look for Matt Ryan to put together a solid game on the road gaining confidence heading to Seattle in a week, while Turner adds 150-plus yards on the ground. The defense should look to pressure rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen all day and dare him to beat them through the air. Clausen ranks last in completion percentage (50.5), passing yards (1,056), TDs (1), and rating (55.3) among quarterbacks with at least 200 passing attempts.
Coach Smtih and the rest of the team are saying all the right things about staying focused, not looking ahead, and taking this road swing and season one step at a time. Even with the Panthers sitting at the bottom of the heap, the Falcons cannot overlook them.
Believe the team when they say they’re focused…Falcons win this divisional road game 32-13(Robert), 34-17(Dekalb).
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