Eagles vs. Falcons predictions for Week 2 of the NFL season – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (1-0) host the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) on Monday Night Football for their first home game at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles will honor Nick Foles, who retires as an Eagle on Monday.

Let’s get to the predictions:

Reuben Frank (0-1)

The Eagles haven’t had a proper laugh in a long time. They won their opener against the Packers by five points, and their last three wins last year have averaged 5 1/2 points. The 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 truly lopsided win, you have to go back nearly 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 as well. All of which brings us to Monday night. It’s time for the Eagles to go out and shut somebody down. To dominate a team like they haven’t since last September. They’re playing at home, coming off a mini-break, almost fully healthy, and facing a Falcons team that lost 8-0 at home to a mediocre Steelers team despite being favored by 3.5 points. A team whose quarterback can barely move, whose offense managed just 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 destroy 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 landslide victory, because as we learned last year, if you keep winning close games, you’re playing with fire. Because eventually you start losing close games. So I’m going to pick Eagles 31, Falcons 17, and they make it 2-0 in three straight 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 they have a chance to face a significantly inferior opponent at the Linc on Monday night. The Falcons have some good players on defense, particularly safety Jessie Bates, so Jalen Hurts can’t afford to be careless with the football, and AJ Brown’s indecisiveness isn’t ideal. But as long as he stops making “unwise” decisions, the Eagles should be able to move the ball and score against the Atlanta defense. And the Falcons’ offense looked really limited in Week 1. Kirk Cousins was never known as a mobile quarterback, but in his first game back from tearing his Achilles, he was a statue. The Falcons’ offensive line also gave up a ton of pressure to the Steelers in Week 1 and lost. This is a good test for the Eagles’ defensive line, which got off to a rocky start on a slippery field in São Paulo. If they can’t apply pressure this week, then that’s a cause for concern. This is a game the Eagles should win easily, and it would be concerning if we were talking about more sloppy play on Tuesday morning. But with Nick Foles in the house, I think the Eagles will pull out a win and be 2-0.

Eagles 27, Falcons 14

Barrett Brooks (0-1)

Last week was a loss for me to start the 2024 season. This week, the Birds should pull off a convincing win over the Falcons. I feel like they are a better team overall. Offensively, they should have an even better performance in this game. Last week, Jalen Hurts had a very average game with too many questionable plays and turnovers. On Monday, Hurts should have a better performance because I trust he will correct many of the bad decisions from last week. It wasn’t just the passing game that needed improvement. The read options and RPOs also need to be better. I saw a few plays where the ball should have been handed off to the running back. The defense was better than I expected in Week 1. I was impressed with their play as a whole. The two red zone stops were crucial to the Birds’ win. The Eagles easily could have been down 14 points in the first half of the first quarter. They will only get better if the young players learn to play in defense.

Eagles 29, Falcons 21

Mike Mulhern (1-0)

This one feels too easy. The Eagles are the better team, have more rest, and will be playing in front of a raucous home crowd. The Falcons start star quarterback Kirk Cousins, and he’s even more immobile after a torn Achilles tendon. That led to extreme predictability in their Week 1 loss to the Steelers. Cousins was also the only quarterback who didn’t attempt a pass of 20 yards or more. If Vic Fangio’s unit can keep Bijan Robinson in check, the rest should be a breeze.

I’m not sure the defense has the right answer to the Eagles offense yet, but I’m excited to see what the Falcons plan to do. The Packers haven’t blitzed often and have never sent six or more rushers. Those big blitzes were Jalen Hurts’ biggest problem last season, but he wasn’t really tested in Brazil. Green Bay also got hurt on the ground when they had easy boxes and then allowed big plays in the air when they tried to stop Saquon Barkley. The Falcons have some elite players on their defense, but that won’t be enough to stop Kellen Moore’s high-powered unit.

Eagles 27, Falcons 16

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