Carolina at Atlanta

Michael Vick. At Home. National Television. Do you need another reason? Having played over a dozen plays last week, he shouldn’t be rusty or scared. He looked good in last week’s game, completing 73% of his passes and rushing for over 5 yards per carry. If you aren’t excited about this game and watching Mike Vick, check your pulse. The Falcons fans are going to be FIRED UP on Sunday night. If there is any team that can go from worst to great with the addition of one player, it is the Falcons. Forget the 2-10 team you’ve seen this year. Instead, remember the team that beat Green Bay on the road in the playoffs last year. Even without Vick, Atlanta has been one play away from winning each of the past three weeks. With him, they will be a winning team. Can Vick play against one of the better defenses in the league? Hmmmm. Let’s see, last year the Falcons won both games against the Panthers by a combined score of 71-0. This is a better Carolina squad than last year (on offense, at least), but I don’t see them overcoming the emotional high that will be in the Dome this week. Carolina may be fading again as they have lost two straight and three of their last five. The Panthers are one of the worst red-zone teams in the league and are just 1-6 ATS this year as a favorite.