ATLANTA (Dec. 24, 2006) -- Chris Weinke credited his first win in five years to Carolina's renewed emphasis on the running game, while another Atlanta loss left Michael Vick wondering about his team's direction.
No matter the perspective of the quarterbacks, Carolina 's 10-3 win over the Falcons left each team one game under .500 -- and still in the jumbled NFC wild-card playoff hunt -- with one week left in the season.
The Falcons (7-8) suffered their fourth straight home loss.
Vick seemed to question decisions by coach Jim Mora and his staff.
"We've got first-round guys, we've got guys that have been in the Pro Bowl offensively and defensively, guys who've been in the scheme for two to three years," Vick said. "You know, the talent level is there, and I just think it's a question that needs to be answered. I don't know what it is, but we're too good to be losing these games, and we should be ranked among the elite in this league this year and we're not."
Added Vick: "You just can't come out there and just try to wing it. I'm not saying that we did that, but either we've got to come out and throw the football or come out and try to establish the run."
There was no question about the Panthers' offensive mission.
Carolina (7-8) outgained the Falcons' league-leading rushing attack 183-83.
Weinke's only previous win came in his first game as a starter for Carolina on Sept. 9, 2001 at Minnesota.
Weinke directed a devastating first-half touchdown drive that lasted 10 minutes, 36 seconds. He called 12 straight running plays before throwing his first pass in the 16-play drive.
"That was our emphasis all week," Weinke said.
That sort of domination "is what happens when you run the ball," Weinke said.
DeShaun Foster rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries. DeAngelo Williams added 21 carries for 82 yards rushing, with much of his production coming on keepers while lining up at quarterback in a shotgun formation.
"We put that little segment in this week," Weinke said.
The Falcons were slow to adjust.
"A couple of times they had us outnumbered to the side of the run," Mora said. "We didn't adjust to it well enough early."
The Panthers had first-down runs for 9, 6, 6, 9, 5, 4 and 1 yards as they ran down the clock in their long touchdown drive. Weinke's scoring pass to King, a rookie third-string tight end, came on the first play of the second period.
King's first career reception came two plays after Williams ran 3 yards to the 1 on his first play at quarterback.
"It wasn't just me back there," Williams said. "The offensive line did a great job of blocking. We did a good job today running all the plays."
The long drive seemed to leave the Falcons' offense groggy after their long wait on the sideline.
"We kind of had a rhythm going, and to be over there for that length of time wasn't good for our offense," Vick said.
John Kasay kicked a 42-yard field goal for Carolina in the second quarter, giving the veteran 27 straight successful kicks under 50 yards and giving Carolina a 10-3 lead.
Atlanta's only highlights were personal milestones for Vick and kicker Morten Andersen.
On his first carry, Vick rushed for 17 yards to become the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Andersen gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead with a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter that moved him past Gary Anderson for the all-time lead. Andersen now has 539 career field goals.
Vick had four carries for 32 yards and completed 9 of 20 passes for 109 yards with two interceptions. Warrick Dunn gained 29 yards on nine carries.
Allen Rossum's potential game-tying 80-yard punt return midway through the fourth quarter was nullified by a clipping penalty against receiver Michael Jenkins.
The Panthers won despite playing without quarterback Jake Delhomme (thumb), who was out for the third straight week.
Notes:
The Falcons lost their last four home games of the season for the first time since 1989. ... Weinke's 17-game losing streak is the second-longest in NFL history. The Oilers' Dan Pastorini lost 21 straight from 1972-74. ... Vick and Dunn became the first quarterback-running back tandem to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season.