The Falcons will take a much-improved secondary into their second matchup against Carolina and quarterback Jake Delhomme.

In their first game in Week 4 on Sept. 28, Delhomme and veteran wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad put on an air show in the 24-9 Panthers' victory.

Muhammad caught eight passes for 147 yards, and Steve Smith got in on the act with a 56-yard touchdown reception.

In all, Delhomme completed 20 of 29 passes for 294 yards. Muhammad worked over left cornerback Brent Grimes, who was making just his fourth start.

Grimes has since been injured and replaced in the lineup by Domonique Foxworth. Grimes was inactive last week against Denver.

The Falcons expanded their use of a variety of zone defense and have mixed in some man-to-man coverage.

The Denver Broncos have come up with all sorts of ways to deal with their injuries, from starting a player on both sides of the line to relying on a guy with plenty of baggage. It's working out just fine. Jay Cutler threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, the Denver defense held off Matt Ryan's last-gasp drive and the gritty Broncos rallied for a 24-20 victory...

When John Abraham wasn't bearing down on him, Drew Brees had to contend with all those pesky Atlanta defensive backs, constantly getting in the way of his throws. It was a miserable afternoon for the NFL's most prolific passer. While Atlanta rookie Matt Ryan turned in another solid performance, Brees threw a season-high three interceptions, the last of them returned 95 yards for a touchdown by...