Falcons must beat Lions to stay in playoff race

With two games remaining, the Atlanta Falcons control their own playoff destiny in the NFC. Their first roadblock is this weekend against the 3-11 Detroit Lions, who despite their record, gave Tampa Bay a tough game before losing 23-20.

The Falcons cannot afford to overlook anyone after losing two in a row and letting the New York Giants creep one game behind them for the last NFC playoff spot.

The Lions, surprisingly, were able to attack the Buccaneers' defense somewhat successfully last week without their starting quarterback and running back.

The Lions' rookie starting quarterback, Joey Harrington left the game early and was taken to the hospital after his pulse raced to 200 beats per minute. He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. It has been corrected and he has been released from the hospital, but he will miss the remaining two games of the year.

Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg said that he plans to see Harrington participate in the Lions offseason program in a few weeks.

In for Harrington the rest of the year is second year man from Rutgers, Mike McMahon. McMahon started the first two games of the year for the Lions, but Harrington was named the starter in week three and has started every game since.

McMahon is a much more mobile quarterback than Harrington and is one of the best scramblers in the league. Sunday's matchup of McMahon vs. the elusive Mike Vick is going to showcase two of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league.

However, the Falcons feel as if they can benefit from McMahon leaving the pocket.

"McMahon is obviously a lot more mobile," said Brooking. "The coaches already pointed out to us that he can make poor decisions at times when he is outside the pocket running around."

McMahon showed the cobwebs last week versus the Buccaneers. He had two passes where him and receiver Bill Schroeder had miscommunication and he threw the ball where Schroeder wasn't it. He also seemed to have a tendency to throw the ball sidearm.

Mornhinweg places a premium on his quarterbacks not taking sacks in his West Coast offense. They are one of the least sacked teams, if no the least sacked team in the NFL. However, the McMahon and Harrington have both been prone to throwing interceptions for Lions by trying not to take sacks.

The Lions, despite not having their start running back James Stewart, still racked up 144 yards on the ground against the NFL top rated defense. Rookie Aveion Cason and journeyman Rafael Cooper carried the load for the Lions. But quietly instilling fear in opponents is veteran linebacker Corey Schlesinger.

"The one guy that I am definitely impressed with is (fullback Cory) Schlesinger," said Falcons middle linebacker Keith Brooking. "He is the type of guy that he runs his feet on every block, he never stops to the whistle blows, and runs through guys like you wouldn't believe."

Vick is one of the leading candidates for the NFL MVP. His 46-yard touchdown run to beat the Minnesota Vikings in overtime might be the single most exciting play to watch all season.

The Lions have their hands full, as do all NFL teams now with Mike Vick. He is a quarterback that you cannot compare to anyone according to Lions' cornerback Eric Davis, "I compare him to Michael Vick."

"Whether it's throwing the ball 70 yards or running the ball 45 yards he can do it," said Lions safety Corey Harris on Vick. "He is not going to see the same things he has seen in the last two weeks against us."

The Falcons like to run the ball, but not with just Vick scrambling. They have 2,072 yards on the ground, which make them fourth in the NFL in rushing. The running back tandem of rookie TJ Duckett and Warrick Dunn have combined for 1,210 of the 2,072 yards. Their two backs are complete opposites. Warrick Dunn is the small shifty back at five-foot, nine-inches and 180 pounds, while TJ Duckett is the just a battery ram at six-feet and 254 pounds.

"They want to run the ball, it mixes in the quarterback with the running game," says Lions middle linebacker Chris Claiborne.

Claiborne has had a stellar season at the middle linebacker spot fo the Lions. This is his first full season as a middle linebacker, he has lost weight and is able to make plays all over the field. He is also in the last year of his contract and

The Lions were able to get a moral victory out of last weeks loss and maybe Tampa Bay was thrown off a little with McMahon in the game instead of Harrington. But one of the signs that was obvious in last week loss and their whole season is how they can't sustain leads finish off teams.

The Falcons had this problem last week as they led the Seattle Seahawks 17-7 at halftime before they ultimately lost that lead in the fourth quarter, but tied in the fourth, however Jay Feeley missed a field goal in overtime. The Seahawks were able to capitalize in overtime as their running back Shaun Alexander ran for a 27-yard touchdown in the extra timed period.

They also tied Pittsburgh 34-34 in week ten, which is barely keeping them ahead of the Giants at the present moment.

The Lions are playing for a lot of things. One might be to save the jobs of Mornhinweg and general manager Matt Millen, although it has been theorized that the M & M show has been lost upon the players. McMahon might be traded in the offseason and even though he might not admit it, he is trying to show the league what he can do.

A lot of teams in the NFC besides the Giants will be rooting for the Lions Sunday. No one wants to face Vick in the playoffs. This is the much easier game the Falcons have left on their schedule. They have to play at Cleveland the last week of the season and the Browns are locked in their own playoff race in the AFC North.

My prediction, the Lions have embarrassed themselves all season, and for a lot of the season Vick has embarrassed league wide talent, so something has to give and that will the Lions. The Falcons will attack the Lions defensive backs who won't be able to cover Falcons receivers Brian Finneran and Shawn Jefferson. Look for the Falcons to pull away in the third quarter and win 34-20.