The Week 2 Monday Night Football matchup pegs the Atlanta Falcons against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons come into the week off an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Eagles kicked off their season with an impressive 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers.
It’s early in the season to consider this game a ‘must-win,’ but the Falcons could be in that position if history is any indication. Over the previous five seasons, 41 teams have started 0-2 and only two made the playoffs. Unfortunately, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has struggled in primetime games throughout his career.
Conversely, with the Dallas Cowboys losing to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the Eagles can make an early statement as the team to beat in the NFC East.
Eagles vs. Falcons matchups to watch
When Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons in March, NFL fans were excited about the veteran signal-caller joining forces with a young trio of playmakers in Atlanta: Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts. However, the breakout did not occur in Week 1. London and Pitts combined for just five receptions and 41 yards against the Steelers.
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With a Week 3 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon, the Falcons should play with a sense of urgency out of the gate. Last season, the Eagles pass defense struggled to slow down opposing wide receivers. Philadelphia allowed the most receptions and second-most yards and touchdowns to opposing receivers. During Week 1, the Eagles allowed Christian Watson and Jayden Reed to score.
Philadelphia invested heavily in the secondary in the draft, selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Even with veterans Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson patrolling the field, the Eagles’ secondary is its biggest weakness. After Week 1, head coach Raheem Morris said, ‘We didn’t get the ball to Drake enough.’ London is in a good spot to bounce back Monday night.
The Eagles failed to make any noise last postseason, but don’t let that distract you from the fact they were 10-1 with the best record in the NFL heading into December. Injuries to key playmakers significantly impacted the Eagles’ collapse. One of those injured stars was All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
On Saturday, the Eagles announced Brown will miss this game after injuring a hamstring during practice late in the week. As a result, former Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith will be tasked with leading the Eagles receivers against Atlanta. How new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will utilize Smith with Brown out remains to be seen.
Of 40 snaps in the Eagles opener, Smith led all receivers with 26 snaps from the slot, and Brown was second with nine. This is significant because the last two primary slot receivers in Moore’s offenses were Keenan Allen in 2023 and CeeDee Lamb in 2022. Last season, Smith ran out of the slot on 32.4% of plays.
On his perimeter routes, he will see coverage from A.J. Terrell, and in the slot he will have an advantageous matchup with Dee Alford. Atlanta played plenty of zone in Week 1 under new head coach Raheem Morris. The last time Smith played without Brown was in the Wild Card game against the Buccaneers in January. He led the team with eight receptions for 148 yards.
Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson square off
Philadelphia acquired superstar running back Saquon Barkley during the offseason. They signed the former No. 2 overall pick after the division rival, New York Giants, failed to bring him back. Barkley immediately displayed his electric talent, scoring three touchdowns and totaling 132 yards in Week 1. He runs behind the Eagles offensive line, which has the second-most rushing yards before contact over the previous three seasons. Even with Jason Kelce retired, Barkley is set up for a career year.
Atlanta has a generational back, too. Bijan Robinson is the spearhead of the Falcons’ offense. The second-year running back played a career-high 90% of snaps Week 1. The Eagles’ run defense has been a strength, but look for Robinson to impact the passing game. He ran a route on 22 of 28 passing plays Week 1.
Robinson was selected eigth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is the highest selected running back since Barkley in 2018. He runs behind an offensive line that struggled with pass blocking against the Steelers and T.J. Watt but excelled with run blocking Week 1.
Keys to MNF
In Week 1, Atlanta’s offense was in shotgun or pistol formation on 96% of their snaps. According to Next Gen Stats, Cousins had never taken more than 10 snaps out of pistol formation in a game throughout his first 13 seasons in the NFL.
In Saquon Barkley’s Eagles debut, he scored three touchdowns. It was Barkley’s second career three-touchdown performance, with the first coming back in Week 11 of his rookie season in 2018.
Last week, Kyle Pitts was the only tight end in the NFL to run a route on 100% of his team’s passing plays.
How to watch Eagles vs. Falcons tonight
TV Channel: ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC
Live stream: ESPN+ | Fubo
ESPN and ABC will broadcast ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 2 and throughout the 2024 NFL season.
Peyton and Eli Manning will host the ‘ManningCast’ on ESPN2 this week.
Cord-cutters will be able to watch the game using either ESPN+—ESPN’s streaming app, which can be bundled with Hulu and Disney+—or Fubo, which comes with a free trial.
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