After a lackluster performance in Week 1 against the Steelers, the Falcons have a chance to right the ship on Monday Night Football against a tough Philadelphia Eagles team. The offense will make or break the Falcons on Monday. I’ll dive into the details later, but this Philly defense finished at the bottom of the league in points and yards last year, and they didn't perform well against the Packers a week ago. However, the Eagles' offense is dangerous this year with the addition of Saquon Barkley. Atlanta will need to respond drive for a drive if they want a shot at winning this "Battle of the Birds."
Primetime football doesn’t come around often for the Falcons, but that’s changed this year as Atlanta will appear in four primetime games. The last time the Falcons played in primetime was a Thursday night game in 2022, where they lost to the Carolina Panthers. However, to find the previous Monday Night game the Falcons played, you’ll have to return to 2020, when they fell to Green Bay, 30-16. It’ll be a refreshing change to see the Falcons in primetime this season. Atlanta will continue their primetime schedule next week on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs, but there is no need to worry about the defending champs just yet—let’s take a moment to look back at the last time Atlanta faced Philly on MNF.
Game Info
Date: Monday, September 13th
Start Time: 7:15CT/8:15ET
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
TV Info: ESPN (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman)
Falcons Uniform Info:
Eagles Team Statistical Rankings (ONLY FROM WEEK ONE OF 2024)
Points Per Game: 34.0 (3rd)
Points Allowed Per Game: 29.0 (t-25th)
Offensive Yards Per Game: 410.0 Yards (4th)
Passing/Rushing Yards Per Game: 266.0 Yards Per (5th) and 144.0 Yards per (10th)
Defensive Yards Allowed Per Game: 414.0 (30th)
Passing/Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 251.0 Yards Per (26th) and 163.0 (25th)
Third Down Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 28.57% (t-21st) and 27.27% (9th)
Red Zone Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 50.0% (t-12th) and 25.0% (t-6th)
Penalties: 7.0 per game (t-16th)
Penalty Yardage: 57.0 per game (20th)
Head to Head: 33 games, Philly leads the series: 18-14
Last Mathcup: 9-12-2021, Philly won: 32-6
Players Already Ruled Out Before Monday
Eagles: A.J. Brown (WR)
Falcons: Nate Landman (LB), Antonio Hamilton Sr. (CB)
Philedaphea Eagles
Defense
Without Hasson Reddick, the Eagles' defense didn't look its best last week against the Packers. Granted, the playing conditions in São Paulo weren’t ideal, and the Packers do have a talented offense. Still, giving up 414 yards and 29 points is something Atlanta should be licking their chops to get their offense back on track.
Even though this defense has struggled, it still has talent that the Falcons will need to watch—especially Zack Baun. Despite Philly giving up 414 yards, Baun had a solid performance in Week 1, recording 15 total tackles and two sacks from the inside linebacker position. Baun, a former New Orleans Saint, spent four seasons there but never appeared in more than 27% of defensive snaps. Last week, however, he played 100% of the defensive snaps for the Eagles.
And, of course, keeping Jalen Carter contained is crucial for Kirk Cousins to get into a rhythm. Carter, a standout defensive lineman from Georgia, finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting last season. He recorded six sacks, made 33 tackles, and returned a fumble for a touchdown. The 23-year-old interior defensive lineman can clog up the middle and has pass-rushing abilities that the Falcons must control.
Offense
This is where the Eagles have made their mark as one of the better teams in the NFC over the past few years. Even with the retirement of veteran center Jason Kelce, the Eagles' offense looks incredibly dangerous. Kellen Moore is now their play-caller—a significant addition given his success in Dallas, especially during the 2021 season when the Cowboys finished first in both points and yards. Moore didn’t have as much success with the Chargers last year, but now, with the weapons in the Eagles' offense including the addition of Saquon Barkley—they have the potential to be the best offense in the league this year.
Speaking of Barkley, he could be on the brink of revitalizing his career now that he’s no longer sharing an offense with Daniel Jones. Barkley looked like his rookie self in Week 1, contributing both in the passing and running games. The Penn State alum recorded three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and 132 scrimmage yards against the Packers. Barkley could potentially elevate this offense to new heights, even though they were already performing at a high level.
However, containing Barkley won’t be the only challenge for the Falcons' defense. The Eagles arguably have the best wide receiver duo in the league with A.J. Brown (who is now officially ruled out) and DeVonta Smith. This matchup will undoubtedly test the Falcons' secondary, especially after George Pickens recorded 85 yards against them the week before. On top of that, the Falcons must keep Jalen Hurts in check and find a way to stop the infamous "tush push" to contain the Eagles' high-powered offense.
Atlanta Falcons
Defense
Stopping this Eagles offense will keep Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris busy, so how do you do it? Getting to Jalen Hurts is a must. Hurts threw two interceptions, completed only 20 of his 34 passes, and was sacked twice. He has been known to be inconsistent as a passer, which includes the 15 interceptions he threw last year. I’ll sound like a broken record here, but the Falcons need more pass rush—and it has to come from players other than Matt Judon and Grady Jarrett, who were the only ones involved in last week’s sacks against the Steelers. Look for players like Lorenzo Carter, James Smith-Williams, David Onyemata, and Zach Harrison to step up and pressure Hurts.
I’ve been neglecting this position group on the Falcons' defense, but the linebacking unit has been solid, dating back to training camp. Atlanta usually runs with two inside linebackers on the field, but they have three linebackers with starting capabilities: Kaden Elliss, Troy Andersen, and Nate Landman, who all rotate at ILB. Unfortunately, Landman has already been ruled out for Monday’s game, so we’ll likely see more of Elliss and Andersen together. Elliss played 100% of the defensive snaps last week, while Andersen appeared in 46%. There’s also a good chance we’ll see rookie J.D. Bertrand as the sub-ILB. Bertrand, a 5th-round pick out of Notre Dame, didn’t play any defensive snaps last week and only saw action on special teams, but we could see #40 on defense for a bit on Monday.
(No Landman on Monday, but it this already good to see that 2/3 ILB are ranked this high. Hopefully, Ellis can get added. He did lead the team in tackles last week.)
I’m also intrigued to see how the Falcons' secondary performs against the Eagles' receiving corps. The Steelers completed 3 out of 4 passes for more than 10 yards last Sunday, but this will be a different style of offense. Looking at Fields' passing chart from last week, we might have already seen the early impact of Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons.
Atlanta’s performance on offense in Week 1 caused quite a stir in the NFL community, mainly regarding Kirk Cousins's health. However, Raheem Morris confirmed that Cousins was fine and fully healthy after the game. Zac Robinson later gave a more detailed explanation during the week, addressing why the Falcons made certain procedural decisions on offense that weren’t related to Cousins' health.
Robinson also discussed the use of the pistol formation. Personally, I love the pistol for the same reasons Z-Rob does, but I’m not sure how much I like it with Cousins at QB. Cousins is a traditional West Coast, under-center type of quarterback who excels at short to intermediate routes. The pistol formation offers more modern concepts; a more mobile quarterback (like Michael Penix Jr.) usually runs it. I think we’ll still see a decent amount of pistol in the coming weeks, but it also looks like we might see more under-center formations as well.
Finally, I want to see Drake London get a heavier dose of targets. London saw only three targets and caught just 2 of them. This is also an Eagles defense that gave up 260 passing yards, including 138 receiving yards, to Jayden Reed a week ago. Giving just three targets to your number-one receiver is laughable. I understand that Bijan Robinson will handle the ball more than any other Falcon, but London has to be more involved. Get him the ball via screens or short routes, and let him create his own space. This offense saw their struggles, and I was outraged by the performance that they put on last week. However, this rookie play-caller is trying to find his rhythm, and Cousins has some obvious rust that needs to get knocked off. Unfortunately, both the rookie play-calling and Cousins' rust were exposed, but now that we have a game under their belt, we should see a little bit more rhythm on Monday.
Betting Info
Points Spread: ATL +5.5 (-110) | PHI -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: ATL (+200) | PHI (-245)
Over/Under: O 46.5 (-105) | U 46.5 (-115)
Lines via Fanduel as of Sunday, September 15th
Prediction
I think the score becomes closer with A.J. Brown officially ruled out since Hurts will be without his favorite target. However, I don't see a way for Atlanta to come out with a win this week. Aside from the 49ers and Lions, the Eagles could easily be the best team in the NFC. I try to stay optimistic that the Falcons will find their rhythm on offense, but last week’s performance was downright ugly. If the Falcons bring that kind of offense to Philly in primetime, it could lead to some severe self-reflection for the Falcons' coaching staff.
Final Score: PHI: 27, ATL: 20
MAIN IMAGE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Comments