The Eagles (1-0) will host the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) in the true home opener 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:
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Reuben Frank (0-1)
The Eagles haven’t had a good, old-fashioned laugher in a while. They won their opener vs. the Packers by five points and their last three five wins last year were by an average of 5 1/2 points. Last time they won a game by more than a touchdown was Week 7 last year, when they beat the Dolphins 31-17. But even that was a one-possession game with five minutes left. To find a true lopsided 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 rematch didn't go quite so well. All of which brings us to Monday night. It’s time for the Eagles to go out and blast somebody. To dominate a team in a way they haven’t since last September. They’re at home, they’re coming off a mini-bye, they’re almost completely healthy, they’re facing a Falcons team that lost at home by eight as a 3 ½-point favorite to a mediocre Steelers team. A team whose quarterback can barely move, whose offense managed all of 51 yards in the second half in Week 1, whose defense allowed points on five of the Steelers’ first seven possessions. The Eagles need to go out and crush a team and the Falcons seem like a good candidate. If the Eagles win another close game, that’s OK. But this team needs a blowout because as we learned last year when you keep winning close games, you’re playing with fire. Because eventually you're going to start losing close games. So I’ll go Eagles 31, Falcons 17, and they find their way to 2-0 in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history.
Eagles 31, Falcons 17
Dave Zangaro (1-0)
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The Eagles had a sloppy win in Week 1 but they have a chance to face a clearly inferior opponent on Monday night at the Linc. The Falcons have a few good players on defense, especially safety Jessie Bates. So Jalen Hurts can’t afford to be careless with the football and A.J. Brown's up-in-the-air status isn't ideal. But as long as he doesn’t make anymore “unwise” decisions, the Eagles should be able to move the ball and score against the Atlanta defense. And the Falcons’ offense really looked limited in Week 1. Kirk Cousins was never known as a mobile QB but in his first game back from an Achilles tear, he was a statue. The Falcons’ offensive line also gave up a ton of pressure to the Steelers in a Week 1 loss. This is a good test for an Eagles defensive line that got off to a rough start on a slippery field in São Paulo. If they can’t get pressure this week, then it’s a concern. This is a game where the Eagles should win easily and it’ll be a concern if we’re talking about more sloppy play on Tuesday morning. But with Nick Foles in the house, I think the Eagles will cruise to a win and be 2-0.
Eagles 27, Falcons 14
Barrett Brooks (0-1)
I had last week as a loss to start the 2024 season. This week, the Birds should have a convincing win over the Falcons. I feel like they are a better all around team. Offensively, they should have an even better showing this game. Last week, Jalen Hurts had a very average game with too many iffy plays and turnovers. Monday should be a better performance by Hurts because I trust he will correct a lot of the bad decisions from last week. It wasn't just the passing game that needed to improve. The read options and RPOs have to be better too. I saw a couple plays where the ball should have been handed to the running back. The defense was better than I expected in Week 1. I was impressed by the way they played as a whole. The two red zone stops were crucial in the Birds’ win. The Eagles could have easily been down 14 points in the first half of the first quarter. They will only get better as the young players learn how to play in the framework of the defense.
Eagles 29, Falcons 21
Mike Mulhern (1-0)
This one feels too easy. The Eagles are the better team, have extra rest, and will be playing in front of a raucous home crowd. The Falcons are starting the statue, Kirk Cousins, at quarterback and he’s even more immobile coming off a torn Achilles. That led to some extreme predictability in their week 1 loss to the Steelers. Cousins was also the only quarterback who didn’t attempt a pass 20 yards or more down the field. If Vic Fangio’s unit can bottle up Bijan Robinson, the rest should be easy.
I’m not sure any defense will have the right answers against the Eagles’ offense just yet, but I’m curious to see what the Falcons plan will be. The Packers didn’t blitz often and never sent six or more rushers. Those big blitzes were Jalen Hurts’ biggest issue a season ago, but he really wasn’t tested in Brazil. Green Bay also got gashed on the ground when they had light boxes and then gave up big plays in the air when they committed to stop Saquon Barkley. The Falcons have some elite pieces on their defense, but it won’t be enough to stop Kellen Moore’s high-powered unit.
Eagles 27, Falcons 16
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