ATLANTA (Oct. 9, 2005) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will miss the game against the New England Patriots with a sprained ankle.
Vick was listed as inactive by the Falcons about an hour before game time.
The quarterback had been expected to start throughout the week when he wore a brace on his injured right knee. He was downgraded to questionable on Oct. 8 and the decision to hold him out apparently was made before pregame warmups.
Backup Matt Schaub, who took most of the snaps in practice this week, will start in Vick's place.
Vick sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during last weekend's 30-10 victory over Minnesota. Schaub played the final 2½ quarters.
Vick said Oct. 6 that he hoped his knee would allow him to play against the defending Super Bowl champions.
"Yeah, it's getting better, and the only way I can tell that is when I go out there and try to do some things on it," he said.
With Vick as the starter, Atlanta is 26-13-1 in the regular season. His .663 career winning percentage trails only the Patriots' Tom Brady, Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and St. Louis' Marc Bulger among active quarterbacks.
