(My Sportsbook) - A maelstrom of controversy has been swirling around Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in recent weeks, but he will try to put that behind him this Sunday as he leads a sliding Atlanta team onto FedEx Field to face the Washington Redskins.

The strife began last week when the father of Falcons head coach Jim Mora called Vick "a coach killer" in a radio interview. The elder Jim Mora, a former head coach with Saints and Colts, has always been known for being outspoken, but still, Atlanta's head coach had to apologize for his father's comments and simply added tension to an already struggling team.

Then, the Falcons dropped their fourth straight game this Sunday, as the New Orleans Saints came into the Georgia Dome and slammed the Falcons, 31-13. Vick became so frustrated with boos from the home crowd that he made obscene gestures towards the stands on his way into the locker room. The three-time Pro Bowl QB later apologized for the unfortunate event, but it remains to be seen if all will be forgiven.

Atlanta's recent slide has dropped it to 5-6 on the year, and the team now faces an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

The Redskins have been playoff outsiders for most of the season, but gave themselves a bit of life with last Sunday's home win over the Carolina Panthers.

Washington's 17-13 victory over the Panthers was also the first win for quarterback Jason Campbell, who was making just his second career start since replacing Mark Brunell. Campbell won the game with a 66-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley late in the fourth quarter.

SERIES HISTORY

The Redskins lead the all-time regular season series with the Falcons, 14-4-1, including a 33-31 road victory when the teams last met, in 2003. Atlanta won the previous matchup, scoring a 27-20 victory at R.F.K. Stadium in 1994. The Falcons were 0-9 in D.C. prior to that triumph, including a loss there in 1993.

The Falcons and Redskins have also met once in the postseason, with Washington winning a 24-7 decision in a 1991 NFC Divisional Playoff, en route to the franchise's most recent Super Bowl victory.

Washington head coach Joe Gibbs is 7-1 in his career against Atlanta, including the playoff victory in '91. The Falcons' Mora will be meeting both Gibbs and the Redskins for the first time as a head coach.

FALCONS OFFENSE VS. REDSKINS DEFENSE

Vick basically was the Falcons offense last week against the Saints, and did most of his damage on the ground. He posted the second-highest rushing total of his career, gaining 166 yards on 12 scrambles. Vick has a team-leading 870 rushing yards on the season and is just 32 yards shy of matching his career high set during the 2004 season. As a team, Atlanta rushed for a total of 281 yards -- the club's second-highest running output this season next to the franchise-record 306 yards it had against Tampa Bay in Week 2. Jerious Norwood (411 yards, 1 TD) was next with 54 yards and 13 carries, while Warrick Dunn (865 yards, 4 TD) added 52 yards and a TD on 19 attempts. Atlanta is by far the highest-ranked rushing offense in the NFL, gaining an average of 197.7 yards on the ground per game, or 49 yards more every week than the second- ranked San Diego Chargers.

Washington's rush defense this season has left something to be desired. The team is ranked 20th in the league with 119.4 rushing yards allowed per week. However, the Redskins did a decent job against the Panthers last week, surrendering 101 yards on 25 carries. Joe Salave'a (15 tackles) was in on three tackles and fellow tackle Cornelius Griffin (34 tackles, 1 sack) made two stops. Middle linebacker Lemar Marshall (63 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks) led the team with eight tackles and OLB Marcus Washington (71 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks) wasn't far behind with seven.

The Falcons did an awful job in the passing game against New Orleans, but it had more to do with numerous drops by wide receivers than it did with the play of the quarterback. Vick (1,770 yards, 13 TD, 9 INT) completed just 9-of-24 passes for 84 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. The completion percentage of 37.5 was the lowest for Vick since he connected on just 7-of-21 passes (33.3-percent) in Kansas City on October 24, 2004. Tight end Alge Crumpler (37 catches, 526 yards, 6 TD) caught one pass for 43 yards and wide receiver Roddy White (20 catches, 283 yards) hauled in one ball for 14 yards. Wideout Ashley Lelie, who came over in a trade with Denver just before the season started, was held without a catch for the second straight game. Lelie has 18 catches for 307 yards on the year. Overall, the Falcons are 31st in the NFL with just 141.4 passing yards per game.

The Redskins defense was charged with the tough task of defending superb wideout Steve Smith last Sunday and did an excellent job at it for most of the day. Smith ended with five catches for 34 yards, but did score the go-ahead touchdown on an eight-yard pass from Jake Delhomme with 7:55 left in the fourth. It was the lone touchdown pass of the day for Delhomme, who was picked off twice by the Redskins. Safeties Sean Taylor (75 tackles, 1 INT) and Vernon Fox (19 tackles, 1 INT) each posted an interception for Washington. Fox and cornerback Carlos Rogers (61 tackles) led the secondary with six tackles. The Redskins are 27th in the NFL with 230.8 passing yards allowed per contest.

REDSKINS OFFENSE VS. FALCONS DEFENSE

Outside of the huge touchdown toss to win the game, Campbell wasn't called on to do much in the passing game last week. Campbell, the 25th overall pick in the 2005 draft, completed 11-of-23 passes for 118 yards with two TDs and an interception. The former Auburn standout has thrown for 314 yards, four TDs and one interception in his first two NFL starts. Cooley (35 catches, 470 yards, 5 TD) hauled in the game-winning TD and ended with three receptions for 89 yards. Wideout Santana Moss (34 catches, 464 yards, 3 TD) was the next-best receiver for Washington with three catches for just 12 yards. The Redskins are ranked 23rd in the NFL with 181.8 passing yards per contest.

Atlanta's passing defense has struggled all season and that was certainly the case last week against the Saints. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees posted a terrific passer rating of 131.1 after completing 21-of-30 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints torched the Falcons secondary on the third play from scrimmage, as Brees and Devery Henderson connected on a 76-yard TD strike. Brees also hit Terrance Copper in the end zone on a 48-yard Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half. Safety Lawyer Milloy (69 tackles, 1 sack) led the secondary with seven tackles and linebackers Keith Brooking (84 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) and Edgerton Hartwell (13 tackles, 1 sack) each posted a sack. Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall (39 tackles, 4 INT) made two tackles in the loss. The Falcons are yielding 241.2 passing yards per game (30th in the NFL).

Ladell Betts has taken over the top running back spot for the Redskins since Clinton Portis suffered a season-ending injury three weeks ago against Philadelphia. Betts (488 yards, 1 TD) appeared to be up to the task last Sunday, as he rushed for 104 yards on 24 carries. It was the second 100-yard game of the year for Betts, who gained 124 yards against Houston in Week 3. T.J. Duckett (90 yards) carried the ball seven times for 24 yards against the Panthers. The Redskins are 12th in the league with an average of 124 rushing yards per game.

The Falcons are one of the better teams in the league at defending the run this year, allowing just 98.2 yards per game on the ground (9th - NFL). They did a solid job against the dual running attack of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, yielding a total of 95 rushing yards. McAllister did most of the damage with 71 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Defensive tackle Grady Jackson (24 tackles) had a big day clogging up the line and finished with seven tackles. Brooking and Hartwell added eight and seven stops, respectively.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

It will be interesting to see how Vick responds to all of the recent criticism when he takes the field this week in suburban D.C. He clearly tried to put the team on his shoulders against the Saints last Sunday and this week could use some help from his receivers. Washington has played well at home this year, but its suspect rushing defense will have a hard time trying to stop the Falcons.

My Sportsbook Predicted Outcome: Falcons 24, Redskins 21