Carolina Panthers Top Atlanta Falcons

The Carolina Panthers today snapped a four-game losing streak, beating the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 10-3 and all but ending the Falcons’ playoff hopes. The Panthers have already been eliminated from the playoffs, falling out of contention with their four-game slide. Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke credited his first win in five years to the Panthers’ emphasis on the running game, something that has been missing all season.

Weinke completed only 4 of 7 passes for 32 yards, but that included a 1-yard scoring pass to Jeff King that would be the only touchdown Carolina needed to win. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Panthers and a 17-game losing streak for Weinke. With the focus on the running game, the Panthers controlled the ball for 41 minutes, 47 seconds compared to only 18 minutes, 13 seconds for the Falcons. He directed a devastating first-half touchdown drive that last 10 minutes, 36 seconds in which he called 12 straight running plays before throwing his first pass. Carolina ran for 183 yards.

Michael Vick, on the other side of the ball, became the only quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single-season.