Updated

The Atlanta Falcons finally played a stinker of a game.

They don't want it to become a habit.

Mindful of how important it is to go into the playoffs with momentum, the Falcons reported to their training complex Monday to begin assessing what went wrong in their worst performance of the season.

Atlanta (11-2) lost to division rival Carolina 30-20 in a game that wasn't really that close. The Panthers raced to a 23-0 lead and were never seriously challenged.

Now, after taking 24 hours to review their shoddy performance, the Falcons must get set to host the defending Super Bowl champs on Sunday. The New York Giants (8-5) are clinging to first in the NFC East and desperate for a win to stay in front of Washington and Dallas.