Panthers defeat listless Falcons
ATLANTA – The Carolina Panthers had just the right opponent for clinching a trip to the playoffs – the listless, banged-up Atlanta Falcons, who seemed more interested with getting started on the off-season.
DeShaun Foster rushed for 165 yards, including the longest scoring run in team history, and Jake Delhomme threw for two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a 44-11 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Carolina clinched one of the two NFC playoff spots still available going into Week 17, settling for a wild card when Tampa Bay clinched the South Division title with a win over New Orleans.
The Panthers will travel to New York to play the Giants on Sunday, coming off the biggest win in the franchise’s 11-year-old history.
“We match up with anybody,” Brentson Buckner said. “If they tell us to come out and play on the moon, we’ll play on the moon. Everything we want to do is still ahead of us. We didn’t win the division, but we’re in.”
Carolina is going back to the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl two seasons ago. The Panthers got off to a 1-7 start last year, then made a remarkable turnaround to give themselves a postseason chance going into the final week, but were eliminated by a 21-18 home loss to the Saints.
“The opportunities we missed last season and the run we made contributed to all the hard work the guys put in during the off-season,” said Steve Smith, who had nine catches for 131 yards, including a 42-yard TD.
The Falcons were knocked out of the playoffs the previous week by an overtime loss at Tampa Bay. In the season finale, Atlanta completed its second-half collapse and extended one of the most inglorious streaks in pro sports.
With only two wins in their final eight games, the Falcons (8-8) not only missed the playoffs after going to the NFC championship game last season – they also kept alive the franchise’s failure to post back-to-back winning seasons throughout its 40-year history.
“It’s going to be hard to watch (the playoffs),” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”
Atlanta trailed 27-3 at halftime and most of the home fans were gone by the start of the final quarter, leaving a small contingent of blue-clad fans to chant, “Let’s go Panthers!”
The Falcons had nothing to play for – and it showed. Michael Vick had one carry, finishing with zero yards rushing for the first time in his career. He wasn’t much better through the air, going 15 of 24 for 115 yards, including an interception.
“It’s not just Mike Vick,” he insisted. “I’ve got other players around me, other people around me – coaches who are supposed to do everything in their power to put everyone in the offense in a better position. It’s not just me.”