Eagles vs. The Falcons for Week 2 of the NFL season appeared first on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Eagles (1-0) will host the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) in a true home game at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night Football.
The Eagles will honor Nick Foles, who will retire as an Eagle on Monday.
Let’s get to the predictions:
Reuben Frank (0-1)
Eagles never laughed so good, old. They won their first game against the Packers by five points and three of their last five last year were by an average of 5 1/2 points. The last time they won a game by more than two runs was in Week 7 last year, when they beat the Dolphins 31-17. But that too was a one-goal game with five minutes left. To find a true lost win, you have to go back almost a year to Week 3 last year, when the Eagles led the Bucs 25-3 in the fourth quarter before winning 25-11. And, no, the protest game didn’t go so well. All of this brings us to Monday night. It’s time for Manong to come out and blow someone up. Dominating the team in a way they haven’t done since last September. They’re home, off the road a little, almost healthy, facing a Falcons team that has lost eight at home as a 3 ½ point target to a mediocre Steelers team. A team whose quarterback couldn’t move, whose offense managed all 51 yards in the second half in Week 1, whose defense allowed five points the Steelers’ first seven possessions. The Eagles need to go out and crack a team and the Falcons seem like a good candidate. If the Eagles win another close game, that’s fine. But this team needs to explode because as we learned last year when you win close games, you play with fire. Because eventually you will start losing close matches. So I’ll go Eagles 31, Falcons 17, and find their way to 2-0 in three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Eagles 31, Falcons 17
Dave Zangaro (1-0)
The Eagles had a sloppy win in Week 1 but have a chance to face a clearly inferior opponent on Monday night at the Linc. The Falcons have several top defensive players, most notably safety Jessie Bates. So Jalen Hurts can’t care less about football. But as long as he doesn’t make “unwise” decisions, the Eagles should be able to run the ball and score against Atlanta’s defense. And the Falcons offense really looked limited in Week 1. Kirk Cousins has never been known as a mobile QB but in his first game back from a torn Achilles, he was as a statue. The Falcons’ offensive line also gave the Steelers plenty of pressure in the Week 1 loss. This is a good test for the Eagles’ defensive line that got off to a rough start on the slippery field in São Paulo. If they can’t get pressure this week, then that’s a concern. This is a game where the Eagles should win easily and it will be a concern if we are talking about a sloppy game on Tuesday morning. But with Nick Foles in the house, I think the Eagles are going to win and be 2-0.
27 Eagles, 14 Falcons
Barrett Brooks (0-1)
I had a loss last week to start the 2024 season. This week, the Birds should have a convincing win over the Falcons. I feel like it’s a better team all around. Offensively, they should have a better game. Last week, Jalen Hurts had a very average game with a lot of iffy plays and turnovers. Monday should be a good performance for Hurts because I hope he corrects a lot of bad decisions from last week. It wasn’t just a passing game that needed improvement. The read options and RPOs have to be better too. I’ve seen a few plays where the ball should have been given to the running back. The defense was better than I expected in Week 1. I was impressed with the way they played overall. Two red zone stops were key to the Bird’s win. The Eagles could have easily been down 14 points in the first half of the first quarter. They will only improve as the younger players learn to play in a defensive scheme.
Eagles 29, Falcons 21
Mike Mulhern (1-0)
This one feels very easy. The Eagles are a better team, more rested and will be playing in front of a lively home crowd. The Falcons are starting rookie Kirk Cousins at quarterback and he’s still a bit shaky coming off a torn Achilles. That led to some extreme predictions in their Week 1 loss to the Steelers. Cousins was also the only quarterback not to attempt 20 or more yards down the field. If Vic Fangio’s unit can shut down Bijan Robinson, the rest should be easy.
I’m not sure any defense will have the right answers against the Eagles offense right now, but I’m curious to see what the Falcons plan will be. The Packers didn’t rush often and didn’t send six or more rushers. These big blitzes were Jalen Hurts’ biggest concern last year, but he wasn’t really tested in Brazil. Green Bay also got hit on the ground when they had light boxes and gave up big plays in the air when they committed to stopping Saquon Barkley. The Falcons have some top pieces on their defense, but it won’t be enough to stop Kellen Moore’s strong team.
Eagles 27, Falcons 16
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