THE STORY: The Atlanta Falcons can still wrap up the top seed in the NFC - albeit a week later than they would have liked. The Falcons failed to do so when their eight-game winning streak was snapped in a 17-14 loss to defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans on Monday night, but they only need to beat the league's worst team to ensure the road to the Super Bowl will go through the Georgia Dome. It will be John Fox's last game as Carolina's head coach, ending a nine-year run that so far has yielded a 78-73 record (including the playoffs) with three division crowns and one NFC title.
TV: 1 p.m. EST, FOX
OPENING LINE: Atlanta -14.5, O/U 41
WEATHER: Dome
ABOUT THE FALCONS (12-3): It's clear why the Falcons want to make sure they have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs - last week's stumble was their first loss at the Georgia Dome all season - so a win would be a big boon to their Super Bowl hopes. Meanwhile, a loss and a Saints win against Tampa Bay would send the Falcons tumbling to the No. 5 seed and a first-round road game. The offense was surprisingly ineffective against the Saints, managing just a season-low 215 yards, as stars Matt Ryan (148 passing yards), Roddy White (three receptions, 43 yards) and Michael Turner (48 rushing yards) all had quiet nights. The defense held New Orleans to its lowest point total since October, though, which bodes well against Carolina's league-worst offense.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2-13): Not much has gone right for Carolina this season - aside from locking up the No. 1 pick in April's draft - and things have been especially bad on the road. The Panthers have been outscored 180-98 in seven road games - all losses - including a 27-3 pounding at Pittsburgh in their most recent game Dec. 23. The league's worst offense hit a new low against the Steelers, managing only 119 total yards, the lowest since a franchise-worst 113 against Buffalo in 1995.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Although he had a slow game against the Saints, Turner has averaged 95.2 yards per game over the past six weeks, and he has fared well against Carolina, averaging 111.3 rushing yards and scoring eight touchdowns in the past four meetings. White had his worst game of the season against the Saints, but he needs just three catches to break Terance Mathis' franchise record of 111 in a season and 56 receiving yards to top his own club mark of 1,382 set in 2008.
Despite losing DeAngelo Williams to a season-ending injury, the Panthers have found some success in the running game in recent weeks. Jonathan Stewart has average 106.2 rushing yards over the past five games, and Mike Goodson has rushed for a touchdown in three of those contests. Things haven't gone as well in the passing game, as rookie Jimmy Clausen went 10 of 23 for 52 yards with an interception against Pittsburgh, dropping him to 1-8 as a starter and lowering his quarterback rating to 56.8.
QUARTERBACKS: Ryan endured a rare rough night at home last week, dropping to 19-2 as a starter in the Georgia Dome. With his 33rd win Sunday, he would tie Dan Marino for the most wins by a quarterback in his first three seasons as a starter since 1970. Ryan has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Clausen hasn't found the same success Ryan did as a rookie in 2008. The 16th overall pick out of Notre Dame, Clausen is 1-8 as a starter and has completed just 51.9 percent of his passes for 1,376 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was 14 of 24 for 107 yards with an interception in the first meeting against Atlanta this season.
RECENT HISTORY: The Falcons have won three of the past four meetings, including a 31-10 victory at Carolina on Dec. 12. The Panthers did manage 212 rushing yards in the first meeting this season, including 133 yards from Stewart, but Turner pounded the Panthers' usually tough run defense for 112 yards and three touchdowns and Ryan threw for 227 yards and a score.
KEY INJURIES: Carolina - CB Chris Gamble (ankle), RB Jonathan Stewart (foot). Atlanta - DE John Abraham (groin), DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), LB Curtis Lofton (knee), WR Roddy White (knee), DE Kroy Biermann (calf), DB Shann Schillinger (ankle).
LAST WORD: The Panthers won their final home game under Fox, who will finish his career in Carolina as the franchise's winningest coach, with a 19-12 victory against Arizona on Dec. 19. Fox became emotional after that victory, but those emotions haven't carried over to this week so far. "I'm not really in a reflective mood at this stage," Fox said after a practice this week. "But I'll be able to walk out with my head high and be able to look in the mirror."