PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles proved to be their worst enemy throughout the first half, and again at the end in their stunning 22-21 loss to the Falcons on Monday.
Kirk Cousins' 7-yard TD pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left was the difference.
The Eagles have themselves to blame. They didn't use Saquon Barkley at all on the first drive. Then when they did on the second drive to great effect, the Eagles passed up a field goal on 4th-and-4 from the Falcons' 9. They came up empty when Jalen Hurts threw incomplete.
But the Eagles finally put it together late in the first half, as Hurts used his arm and his legs for a 7-3 lead, capping the drive with a 7-yard TD to DeVonta Smith.
The Eagles were seeing Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins for the third straight season in a Week 2 primetime game. Judging from Cousins' record, it's no wonder why the Eagles have had success.
The previous two seasons, Cousins was the Minnesota Vikings' QB. The Eagles beat the Vikings 24-7 in 2022, then 34-28 last season.
In all, Cousins' record is 12-20 overall in primetime games, but 3-10 on Monday night.
But it was Cousins who got the Falcons on the board first, leading a drive that resulted in a field goal with 11:22 left in the first half.
That's when Hurts went to work, keeping the drive alive with runs of 23 yards on 4th-and-3 from Atlanta's 41, and 15 yards on 3rd-and-11 from the Falcons' 19. Hurts capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith.
The Falcons came back and ended the half with a field goal.
Hurts was 9 of 13 passing for 70 yards. He had 51 yards rushing on 6 carries. Barkley had 8 carries for 37 yards.
The Eagles had their most impressive drive of the game after the Falcons scored with 1:21 left to take a 15-10 lead. But the Eagles then ran off a 17-play, 70-yard drive that used up 9 minutes, 34 yards, capping it with (what else?) a Hurts tush push.
Saquon Barkley ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion and an 18-15 lead with 6:47 left.
The Eagles, meanwhile, couldn't get a pass rush going in the first half. They didn't sack Cousins, who's mostly immobile, in the first half. Brandon Graham actually sacked Cousins, but it was negated by a Nakobe Dean penalty.
But in the third quarter, with the Falcons facing a third down at the Eagles' 8, Milton Williams broke through and sacked Cousins. Atlanta kicked a field goal for a 9-7 lead with 10:12 left. It was the first sack by a defensive lineman this season.
It appeared as if the Eagles were going to miss yet another chance to score, facing a 4th-and-3 from Atlanta's 41. That's when Hurts took off and ran, picking up 23 yards to the Falcons' 18 (Hurts was called for delay of game at the end of the play). Then on 3rd-and-11 from the 19, Hurts ran for 15 yards to the 4.
A few plays later, Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for a 7-yard TD, and the Eagles led 7-3 with 5:15 left in the first half.
The Eagles had two series in the first quarter. On the first, Saquon Barkley did not touch the ball as Jalen Hurts tried four passes. On 3rd-and-9 from the 49, Hurts tried a QB draw, gained 3 yards and the Eagles punted as the fans booed.
On the next possession, Barkley started the drive by gaining 9 yards. He also had runs for 10 and 11 yards. But the Eagles' drive stalled on 4th-and-4 from Atlanta's 9 as Hurts threw incomplete. Still, Barkley had 4 rushes for 39 yards on that drive.
But Barkley wasn't as successful after that, with 4 carries for minus-2 yards for the rest of the half.
The Eagles announced their inactives before the game, and the most surprising was linebacker Devin White, whom the Eagles signed as a free agent in the spring.
White missed the opening game with an ankle injury, but was cleared to play this week. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had said last week that White lost the starting job to Nakobe Dean. That would leave Dean and Zack Baun as the main linebackers, with rookie Jeremiah Trotter and Ben VanSumeren as the backups.
Both Trotter and VanSumeren are key special teams players while White has never played on the units.
The Eagles other inactives were AJ Brown, QB Tanner McKee, CB Eli Ricks, OL Darian Kinnard, OL Trevor Keegan and DT Byron Young.
Eagles vs Falcons injuries; AJ Brown out a few weeks?
The Eagles ruled out star wide receiver A.J. Brown on Sunday with a hamstring injury after he was originally listed as questionable on the status report on Saturday. WR Johnny Wilson was listed as questionable. The Falcons had ruled out LB Nate Landman (calf, quad) and CB Antonio Hamilton (groin).
Brown told ESPN that he expects to miss a few weeks. So he likely won't play next Sunday against New Orleans.
The Eagles signed veteran offensive lineman Nick Gates from the practice squad to the 53-man roster Monday for added depth on the offensive line. To make room, the Eagles released veteran edge rusher Patrick Johnson.
Johnson was the Eagles’ seventh-round pick in 2021 and has been a valuable special teams player throughout his career in Philly.
In addition, the Eagles gave practice squad elevations to veteran WR Parris Campbell as depth for Brown and Wilson, and tight end EJ Jenkins.
Eagles vs Falcons time today
- Date: Monday, Sept. 16
- Time: 8:15 p.m.
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
What channel is Eagles vs Falcons game on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+
- Radio: 94 WIP, Merrill Reese (play-by-play), Mike Quick (analysis) and Howard Eskin (sideline)
- Streaming options for the game include FUBO , which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Eagles vs Falcons history
- Series record: Eagles lead, 21-15-1
- Eagles' last win: Sept. 12, 2021 (32-6)
- Falcons' last win : Sept. 15, 2019 (24-20)
Eagles vs Falcons prediction
As we saw against the Packers, the Eagles can basically line up and score 30 points, even with Hurts throwing 2 INTs and losing a fumble. That's how much of a difference Saquon Barkley makes for the offense. But Falcons QB Kirk Cousins is basically a statue. If the Eagles can get any semblance of a pass rush on him, they should win rather easily.
The pick: Eagles 33, Falcons 17
STAFF PREDICTIONS: See all of our expert picks for Eagles vs. Falcons here
Eagles vs Falcons betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM :
- Spread: Eagles by 6.5
- Over/under : 47
- Moneyline: Eagles minus-300 (bet $100 to win $300) and Falcons plus-240 (bet $100 to win $240).
Eagles vs Falcons weather update
Mostly cloudy, Low around 65, 18 percent chance of rain.
Buy Eagles tickets this season with Stub Hub
Eagles 2024 schedule
- Sept. 6 vs. Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil (W, 34-29)
- Sept. 16, vs. Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Sept. 22, at Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
- Sept. 29, at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. FOX
- Oct. 6, BYE
- Oct. 13, vs Browns, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 20, at NY Giants, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 27, at Bengals, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Nov. 3, vs. Jaguars, 8:20 p.m., NBC
- Nov. 10, at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Nov. 14, vs. Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 24, at Rams, 8:20 p.m.,
- Dec. 1, at Ravens, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Dec. 8, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 15, vs. Steelers, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 22, at Commanders, 1 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- Jan 5 or 6, vs. NY Giants, TBD, TBD
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Falcons 22, Eagles 21: Mistakes by Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and defense prove costly
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