ATLANTA (AP) – For a team still below .500 this season and woefully below .500 in its all-time series with division rival Atlanta, the Carolina Panthers bring substantial momentum and confidence to the Georgia Dome for tonight’s game.

The Falcons have won 11 of the last 13 games in the series and hold an overall 13-6 lead in the rivalry, including a 27-10 victory in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 3. The Falcons are looking for their fifth sweep in the last seven years.

“Every team has somebody that they struggle with,” said Carolina defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac. “Until we put this Atlanta thing to rest, everyone is going to talk about that to us.”

The Panthers are painfully aware they have only one win in nine visits to Atlanta, but they are bolstered by a five-game winning streak. At 6-7, they are back in the NFC wild-card race.

Carolina coach John Fox found one way to put a positive spin on the team’s poor history at the Georgia Dome.

“I know we’re undefeated there on Saturday night,” Fox said.

The Falcons (10-3) clinched the NFC South title with last week’s 35-10 win over Oakland. With a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs hanging in the balance, coach Jim Mora refused to concede there is more at stake for Carolina.

“No, heck no, we’ve got a ton riding on this game,” Mora said. “They’re trying to get in the playoffs. We’re trying to get a first-round bye. We’re both fighting and kicking and scratching. This game is very important to both teams, and we both realize that.”

Even without the postseason implications, Mora said the rivalry would command the attention of both teams.

“If you said that both teams were 3-10, it would still be a battle out there,” Mora said. “It’s two teams that I think really enjoy playing against each other. There’s a little something to it, and it’s a national TV game. Night games are always a little bit different.”

The Falcons will look different on offense. They will be without starting fullback Justin Griffith for the rest of the season and backup tailback T.J. Duckett for at least one week.

Duckett had knee surgery Tuesday after setting a team record with four touchdown runs against the Raiders. Griffith broke an ankle in the game.

The Falcons signed veteran Fred McCrary to serve as the backup to new starting fullback Stanley Pritchett, who already had one start in a fill-in role this year. Rookie tailback Jason White was promoted from the practice squad to play behind starter Warrick Dunn.

With all the focus on the Falcons’ running backs this week, it has not escaped Carolina’s attention that quarterback Michael Vick is Atlanta’s leading rusher.

“Their running game, even though they’re going to miss one big part of it, they still have two major parts of it who can get it done,” said Carolina defensive tackle Brentson Buckner.

“It’s a three-headed monster they have. Even though Duckett plays a big part of what they like to do and they’ll miss him, you can’t take nothing away from Dunn. Even though he’s small in stature, he can still pound it up in there and he’s got the speed to take it the distance.”

Vick leads the team with 821 yards rushing. Dunn has 788 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

Carolina defensive end Mike Rucker said momentum generated by the Panthers’ winning streak will overshadow the team’s lack of success against the Falcons.

“Different times, different teams, different situations,” Rucker said. “This is a unique situation where we’re going and the way they are. It’s going to be a great challenge. … They’re a good football team and we’re going down there with some confidence.”

While Vick gives Atlanta a quarterback with unusual skills, Mora says he worries about Carolina’s 6-foot-6, 283-pound defensive end Julius Peppers lining up at wide receiver.

“He’s so unique because he’s so tall and so strong and so athletic,” Mora said. “I’m just hoping they don’t put him out there. But if they do, we’ve got a plan and we try to get a bigger guy out there who’s athletic.”

AP-ES-12-17-04 1510EST