The Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) are flying high while the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) struggle to get off the ground as the teams prepare to face off for the second Monday Night Football game of the season.
The Eagles should be well-rested for their home opener after beginning their season Sept. 6 in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with a victory against the Green Bay Packers in a rare Friday night game that also marked the first NFL game played in the Southern Hemisphere. Led by the dynamism of running back Saquon Barkley, the Eagles outlasted the Packers 34-29 despite a slow start and some sloppy mistakes that included two fumbles. Against Atlanta, Philadelphia will look to clean up unforced errors and improve on its defense, which conceded 423 total yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay.
The outlook was bleaker for Atlanta following its opening loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Falcons' offensive line stuggled and failed to score a single point in the second half during their 18-10 loss to a Pittsburgh team that did not score a touchdown and played with backup QB Justin Fields since starting QB Russell Wilson was out with a calf injury. Although Atlanta will not have to face linebacker T.J. Watt and the rest of Pittsburgh’s defense, the Falcons must make offensive adjustments from Week 1 to contest the game closely.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Falcons-Eagles matchup Monday evening.
The Falcons and Eagles will play Monday, Sept. 16, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kickoff is slated for 8:15 p.m. ET.
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The Falcons-Eagles game will be broadcast on ESPN with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters on air. ESPN Deportes will have a Spanish language broadcast.
The Monday Night Football game can be streamed on Fubo and on the NFL app with NFL+ (subscription required).
The Eagles (-300) are the moneyline favorite, while the Falcons (+240) enter the game as the underdog. The over/under is set at 47 points, with the Eagles favored by 6.5 points, according to BetMGM.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts exhibited glimpses of brilliance as he contributed 311 total yards against Green Bay, but he also committed uncharacteristic errors responsible for three turnovers (including two interceptions). Hurts, who has proven he is capable of taking his team to the Super Bowl, will be eager to clean up his play going forward and make Week 1 a mere blip attributed to the nervous energy surrounding a season opener.
While Hurts was a little rusty during Week 1, Cousins has a lot more rust to shake off. The former Minnesota Vikings QB returned to the field for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon last October and did not seem able to cope against a suffocating Steelers defense. Cousins finished the game 16-for-26 for 155 yards, scoring only one touchdown and throwing two interceptions. If Cousins is to improve, he will also need better support around him as he was sacked twice and hit seven times overall by Pittsburgh.
Barkley is sure to get a warm welcome to Lincoln Financial Field after he was named the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week for his superb debut performance with the Eagles. Against Green Bay, Barkley energized Philadelphia’s offense with 24 carries, 109 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. On top of that, the former New York Giants player showed he was capable in the air, tallying two receptions and an additional touchdown. If Barkley plays like he did last week, the Falcons will face the immense challenge of trying to match his offensive production.
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