Panthers 44, Falcons 11

<p>With a trip to the playoffs on the line, the Carolina Panthers didn't make the same mistake again.</p><p>DeShaun Foster rushed for 165 yards, including the longest scoring run in team history, and Jake Delhomme threw for two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a 44-11 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.</p><p>Carolina (11-5) clinched one of the two NFC playoff spots still available going into Week 17, settling for a wild card when Tampa Bay clinched the South Division title with a win over New Orleans. They will travel to New York next week to play the Giants.</p><p>The Panthers didn't have to work very hard for it against Atlanta, which completed its second-half collapse and extended one of the most inglorious streaks in pro sports.</p><p>With only two victories in their final eight games, the Falcons (8-8) not only missed the playoffs after going to the NFC championship game last season _ they also kept alive the franchise's failure to post back-to-back winning seasons throughout its 40-year history.</p><p>Atlanta trailed 27-3 at halftime and most of the home fans were gone by the start of the final quarter, leaving a small contingent of blue-clad fans to chant, "Lets go Panthers!"</p><p>Carolina is going back to the playoffs after reaching the Super Bowl two seasons ago. The Panthers got off a 1-7 start last year, then made a remarkable turnaround to give themselves a postseason chance going into the final week, but were eliminated with a 21-18 home loss to the Saints.</p><p>No such worries against the banged-up, listless Falcons, who were knocked out of the playoffs the previous week with an overtime loss at Tampa Bay.</p><p>Atlanta had nothing to play for _ and it showed. Michael Vick ran the one time, finishing with zero yards rushing for the first time in his career. He wasn't much better through the air, going 15-of-24 for 115 yards, including an interception, after completing his first eight passes.</p><p>Carolina scored on its opening possession, taking advantage of a 39-yard pass interference penalty on Omare Lowe that set up Delhomme's 12-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl. Late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers finished off the blowout when Ricky Manning scooped up a fumble by Justin Griffith and returned it 8 yards to the end zone.</p><p>Foster had a 70-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter on what appeared to be a routine sweep. He cut back to his right, left Antuan Edwards grasping at air near the line of scrimmage and blew by Atlanta's other safety, Keion Carpenter, on his way to the end zone.</p><p>Steve Smith had nine catches for 131 yards, including a 42-yard TD.</p><p>The Falcons were on the verge of being held without a touchdown for the third time in the last five weeks until backup quarterback Matt Schaub threw a meaningless 14-yard scoring pass to Roddy White with 1:18 remaining.</p><p>Atlanta, which led the NFL in rushing, was held to 26 yards on the ground _ the sixth-worst performance in team history and the first time all season the Falcons failed to reach 100 yards.</p>

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