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          Panthers contain Vick, but still lose

          Oct 3, 2004

            CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons stormed off
            Carolina's field, a victory in hand and a message for the rest of
            the NFL.

            "We own the South!" linebacker Keith Brooking shouted.

            After a 27-10 victory over the defending NFC champion Panthers
            on Sunday, the Falcons at least have a firm grip on their division.

            The Panthers found a way to slow down Michael Vick -- their No. 1
            nemesis -- but failed to shut down any other parts of Atlanta's
            game. The result was an easy win that moved the Falcons to 4-0,
            matching the best start in franchise history in 1986.

            While the players celebrated their 11th win in 13 tries against
            Carolina, Falcons management took a far more cautious approach.

            "It is extremely early," said Atlanta general manager Rich
            McKay. "The thing I like is how hard we are playing. But there is
            a long way to go and Carolina certainly won't go down without a
            fight."

            All the fight belonged to Atlanta in this one.

            Warrick Dunn had a 38-yard touchdown run and Kevin Mathis
            returned an interception 35 yards for another score.

            They won without the typical one-man show Vick usually puts on
            against the Panthers (1-2).

            Normally unable to stop Vick from racking up astronomical
            numbers, the Panthers held him to 148 yards passing and 35 yards
            rushing in this meeting. With all the focus on keeping Vick in
            check, Carolina was a mess in other areas.

            "We get sidetracked as a team, as a defensive unit, in thinking
            we've got to stop one person," said defensive end Julius Peppers.
            "There's 10 other people out there ... if you focus on just one,
            someone else will kill you."

            But the Panthers mainly hurt themselves.

            Carolina twice turned over the ball to end almost certain
            scoring drives. Muhsin Muhammad fumbled on the opening drive at the
            Atlanta 21, and the Falcons converted it into Dunn's touchdown run.
            Then Jake Delhomme was intercepted at the Falcons 3 to end another
            Carolina opportunity on the Panthers' first possession of the
            second half.

            But the most costly error came with 12 minutes left in the game
            and Atlanta clinging to a 13-10 lead. Delhomme threw into heavy
            coverage and Mathis grabbed the ball and marched untouched into the
            end zone.

            It was reminiscent of last November, when Mathis intercepted
            Delhomme on the first play of overtime and returned it 32 yards for
            a 20-14 Atlanta victory.

            "It feels so good to be where we are right now," Mathis said.
            "We are playing as a team, we are confident -- but not
            overconfident -- and we're really rolling right now."

            T.J. Duckett added a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:13 to play to
            make the win a blowout.

            This meeting was fairly nasty, with 21 total penalties, six
            personal fouls called and one near brawl.

            Carolina linebacker Brandon Short was called for unnecessary
            roughness against Vick, and the two exchanged head-butts afterward.
            It led to pushing and shoving between nearly every player on the
            field before the officials took control.

            Vick completed his first seven passes. Things weren't so easy
            from there, and he went just 3-of-11, leaving him 10-of-18 for the
            game.

            Atlanta's defense, the NFL's worst last season, put together its
            fourth consecutive impressive outing.

            The Falcons held Carolina to 360 yards total offense, forced
            three turnovers, harassed Delhomme the entire day and hardly gave
            DeShaun Foster room to run.

            "We're a complete 360 degree turn from last year," Vick said.
            "This is a great defense and they are only going to get better.
            I'm very excited about the future of this team."

            Atlanta's most impressive defensive stand came in the waning
            minutes, when the Panthers moved into scoring range, but fell short
            on four consecutive shots at the end zone. Muhammad dropped a
            touchdown catch, and the Falcons broke up the next three passes.

            But the Panthers refused to credit Atlanta's defense, instead
            blaming themselves for the loss.

            "They say in this league that games are lost more often than
            won," Muhammad said. "I think this one was more of us making
            mistakes that gave them the win."

            Game notes
            Carolina RB Rod Smart left with a sprained knee and
            linebacker Mark Fields had lower back spasms. ... Atlanta's Dunn
            left with a hamstring strain. ... Falcons receiver Peerless Price
            had two catches and two personal fouls. .... Muhammad led all
            receivers with 114 yards on seven catches. ... The Panthers failed
            to sack Vick. ... Atlanta's Patrick Kerney had two sacks on
            Delhomme and has seven this season.