Falcons notebook

Caper will move his scheme around in order to control running back Michael Turner and keep wide receiver Roddy White bottled up.

Mularkey will attempt to counter and free his weapons.

"There is a little bit of that now that you've played each other, you have a better feel for each other," Mularkey said. "It is a chess match. Every play is a move."

Mularkey won the first round, 20-17 on Nov. 28. The second will play out on a much bigger stage, the NFC divisional playoffs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

While Mularkey's team won, Capers won his share of the moves. The Packers held White in near checkmate with five catches for 49 yards, his second-lowest output of the season.

"Obviously the guy with the better moves at the end will be victorious," Mularkey said. "It's crunch time, and there is no room for error on any play. Any play can be the difference in the game, and I think our guys will be focused to play that way."

Capers had the Packers open the game against Philadelphia on Sunday in a 2-4-5 nickel package and did something similarly against the Falcons' base offense.

"Yeah, they played a little nickel [against] our regular package that normally teams don't do," White said. "They were getting CharlesWoodson] in the run game and to get him to run at Tony [Gonzalez] and play Tony a little bit."

The Packers were smart about switching up their coverage.

"They left us on an island a couple of times, and we just had a hit or miss there," White said. "This time around, we're looking to complete those balls. If we hit them, we'll have a chance to make some big plays in the game."

Williams likely out

The Falcons appear set to face Green Bay's high-voltage passing attack, which was fifth in the NFL while averaging 257.8 yards, without their top nickel back.

Brian Williams, who suffered a knee injury in the season finale against Carolina, did not practice Friday.

Williams is officially listed as doubtful for the game, meaning that the team is 75 percent certain that he will not play.

Defensive end John Abraham (groin), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (knee), wide receiver Roddy White (knee) and safety Thomas DeCoud (ankle) all fully participated in practice and were listed as questionable.

With Williams likely out, second-year man Christopher Owens will take back over at nickel back.

Owens, a third-round pick from San Jose State in 2009, played extensively as a rookie and finished the season as the starting left cornerback. He opened the 2010 season as the top nickel back, while Williams worked his way back from offseason knee surgery.

Owens was heavily targeted against Cincinnati and made 13 tackles. Williams took over as the top nickel back the following week against Tampa Bay and helped to stabilize secondary.

Seeding advantage?

The Falcons are the No. 1 seed, and Green Bay is the No. 6 seed.

The NFL's current seeding system has been in place since 1990, and the No.1 seed in the NFC is 18-2 in the divisional round. The two defeats defeats occurred in 2007 (Giants over No. 1-seeded Cowboys) and 2008 (Eagles over the No. 1-seeded Giants).

Weakest link

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat reporter Bob McGinn dubbed Falcons wide receiver Michael Jenkins as the team's weakest link.

McGinn wrote, "WR Michael Jenkins, a first-round draft choice in 2004, has been a starter generally since his second season. He has scored only 20 touchdowns and, despite playing in 93 games (63 starts), has never had a 100-yard game. Jenkins caught 41 balls for 505 yards (12.3) and two TDs in 2010. When the Saints beat the Falcons at the Georgia Dome 2 1/2 weeks ago, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams basically dared Jenkins to beat him. He caught five for 40."