Atlanta Falcons: 5 Things Learned From Week 1
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons came away victorious in the home opener on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles, winning 26-24.
Atlanta dominated Philadelphia in the first half and headed into the locker room up 20-3 at halftime. Philadelphia Eagles CB Byron Maxwell could not contain Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones, as Jones was able to record two touchdown catches for the Dirty Birds in the first two quarters.
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Defensively, Atlanta shutdown the Philadelphia running game, limiting newly acquired All-Pro RB DeMarco Murray to only six rushing yards in the first half. Atlanta was in cruise control heading into the third quarter.
Then the Eagles showed up in the second half and made this an incredible football game. Philly struck for 14 points in the third quarter, on a pair of DeMarco Murray touchdowns. Atlanta couldn’t keep Eagles HC Chip Kelly’s offense off the field in the third quarter.
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Offensively, Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan did not look as crisp as he did in the first half. I’ll give Philadelphia a ton of credit for exposing the Falcons’ shortcomings on the offensive line.
Where the game was ultimately decided was in the running game and on special teams. Atlanta had the superior night over the Eagles in both of those areas. The Falcons, though down 24-23 late in the fourth quarter, played within themselves and had their best football remaining when the game was on the line.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from the Atlanta Falcons Week 1 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
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