ATLANTA (AP) -- Like a boxer who wins a split-decision fight, the Atlanta Falcons are glad to give Minnesota a rematch.

	Kicker Gary Anderson and the Falcons haven't forgotten their NFC title game loss.

"This is awesome," said Travis Hall, a member of the Falcons' "Bomb Squad" defensive line. "It's the two bad boys of the NFC playing each other right off the bat."

It was only eight months ago that Atlanta shocked the Vikings 30-27 in overtime to win the NFC Championship and earn its first trip to the Super Bowl. On Sunday, the teams will meet again at the Georgia Dome, which has been sold out for weeks.

"You can't help but get geeked up," said Falcons safety Eugene Robinson, seeking redemption after his Super Bowl-eve arrest. "You know their talent level. You know our talent level. You know how important it was last year. You know how important it is this year."

The Vikings, 15-1 last season, split four games during a disconcerting preseason, which culminated with star receiver Randy Moss saying the team had lost its special feeling.

Minnesota lost eight free agents and failed on draft day to shore up the holes left by the departures of defensive stars Jerry Ball, Derrick Alexander and Corey Fuller.

The record-breaking offense, which scored 556 points, has the same 11 starters but a new coordinator, Ray Sherman. Brian Billick is now coaching the Baltimore Ravens.

"It's going to be hard. It's going to be a struggle this year," Moss said. "You know there's a lot of high expectations this year for us to go out here and try to duplicate last season and I don't think there's any way possible _ well, I wouldn't say any way possible that we can do that again _ but it's going to be very hard to do."

	INJURY REPORT
	Vikings: OUT: WR Matthew Hatchette (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: CB Antonio Banks (quadricep). PROBABLE: DE John Burrough (ankle); RB John Henry Mills (quadricep); RB Moe Williams (hamstring). Falcons: DOUBTFUL: CB Michael Booker (quadricep); DT Ben Huff (foot).

The Dirty Birds, who won 14 of 16 games last season, also split four exhibition games after making several questionable moves since their Super Bowl loss to Denver.

Leading tackle Cornelius Bennett was released in a salary-cap move. Top receiver Tony Martin was waived after being indicted on money-laundering charges (He signed with Miami and was acquitted on the charges). All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson held out of training camp for two weeks before agreeing to a new five-year, $32 million contract.

This week, however, the Falcons forgot about their troubles as they watched film of that Jan. 17 victory over the Vikings.

"There may be a little bit of a psychological edge since we fared well in their house," Robinson said. "We've got to take something from that. We weren't supposed to win that game."

Playing in a raucous Metrodome, Atlanta trailed 27-17 in the fourth quarter before rallying to send the game to overtime. Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal nearly 12 minutes into the extra period sent the Falcons to Miami, the Vikings into mourning.

"It hurt so bad," Vikings quarterback Randall Cunningham said. "It was even tougher watching the film this week."

Atlanta, which did such a remarkable job of stifling the explosive Vikings in their last meeting, faces the same daunting task against the same troika of receivers: Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed.

The Falcons will likely be without cornerback Michael Booker, a starter in the NFC Championship Game but hampered in the preseason with a sore quadriceps. While his absence would severely test Atlanta's depth in the secondary, Robinson doesn't sound too concerned.

"There's something to be said for attitude," he said. "It comes down to more than just how fast you are, how high you can jump. Shoot, everybody can do that. You've got to break a guy's will."

The Vikings insist there's no element of revenge in the game plan. Coach Dennis Green stressed that point in a meeting with his players.

"It's the past," safety Orlando Thomas said. "It's not going to help you, and it's not going to break you. It's another season. We have different players here. Some players don't even know about that game because they didn't participate in it."

Linebacker Jessie Tuggle scoffed at the idea that Minnesota has forgotten the last meeting.

"This team has been thinking about us for the last six months," Tuggle said. "That's all they've been thinking about. They circled this game on the calendar."

Coming off the Super Bowl season, Atlanta boosted its season ticket sales from a pitiful 29,000 to a more respectable 41,000. When the final 10,000 tickets went on sale for the opener, they were gobbled up in less than two hours.

Anderson, who rushed for 1,846 yards on an NFL-record 410 carries, teams with quarterback Chris Chandler to lead the Falcons' ball-control offense. Anderson said there are no lingering effects from his holdout, and he vows to unveil a new dance this season, "The Y2K Dirty Bird."

The Falcons are hoping for the kind of boisterous crowd they faced at the Metrodome to be on their side this time.

"I don't think you're going to see too much purple," Tuggle said, remembering home games when as many fans rooted for the opposing teams as the Falcons. "This is the first time we're going to have a true dome-field crowd."

MINNESOTA Season schedule and results

ATLANTA Season schedule and results

September 12 @Atlanta 4:15pm ET September 19 Oakland 1:00pm ET September 26 @Green Bay 4:15pm ET October 3 Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET October 10 Chicago 1:00pm ET October 17 @Detroit 1:00pm ET October 24 San Francisco 1:00pm ET October 31 @Denver 4:15pm ET November 8 Dallas 9:00pm ET November 14 @Chicago 1:00pm ET November 28 San Diego 1:00pm ET December 6 @Tampa Bay 9:00pm ET December 12 @Kansas City 8:20pm ET December 20 Green Bay 9:00pm ET December 26 @NY Giants 1:00pm ET January 2 Detroit 1:00pm ET

September 12 Minnesota 4:15pm ET September 20 @Dallas 9:00pm ET September 26 @St. Louis 1:00pm ET October 3 Baltimore 1:00pm ET October 10 @New Orleans 1:00pm ET October 17 St. Louis 1:00pm ET October 25 @Pittsburgh 9:00pm ET October 31 Carolina 1:00pm ET November 7 Jacksonville 1:00pm ET November 21 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET November 28 @Carolina 8:20pm ET December 5 New Orleans 1:00pm ET December 12 @San Francisco 4:15pm ET December 19 @Tennessee 1:00pm ET December 26 Arizona 1:00pm ET January 3 San Francisco 9:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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