By all accounts, the Falcons had no business winning this game. They hadn’t won in Philly in over a decade. Vegas had the Eagles favored by almost a touchdown. Then Philadelphia pushed Atlanta around with their run game for a drive lasting over nine minutes to take the lead and, seemingly, all the momentum. Captain Kirk, however, had other ideas, and led a near-perfect game-winning drive to leave everybody smiling down in Dixie.
Falcons vs Eagles Week 2 Review
The Merry
Kirk Cousins
Cousins looked infinitely better on this night than he did the previous week against the Pitsburgh Steelers, especially as the game wore on. He was only 7 of 13 in the first half, but 13 of 16 in the second half, and 5 of 6 on the game winning drive. Both of his TD passes were in the second half, including the game winner to Drake London. He spent more time under center, utilized play-action more often, and seemed perfectly healthy, moving well in the pocket and firing some fastballs.
The Offensive Line
After a very poor showing against the Steelers, especially in pass protection, the o-line really showed out in the hostile and often loud confines of Lincoln Financial Field. As a team the Falcons ran for 152 yards at a 5.4 yards-per carry clip, compared to 89 yards and a 4.0 yards-per carry average vs Pittsburgh. Cousins was only sacked once and hurried twice and the Eagles recorded only three tackles for loss. By comparison, the Steelers recorded a pair of sacks, seven hurries, and three TFLs in Week One.
Bijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson had looked decent against Pittsburgh, but he really stepped it up against the Eagles. He rushed 14 times for 97 yards, caught 4 of 5 passes thrown his way for 25 yards, and more than held his own blocking.
The Messy
The Run Defense
As well as Atlanta ran the ball, Philly arguably ran it even better, with Saquon Barkley particularly driving it home, almost at will. The Eagles rushed 37 times for 186 yards (5.0 ypc) as a team, with Barkley accounting for 22 carries and 95 yards. The Falcons’ defensive linemen were consistently getting pushed off the line of scrimmages and/or getting walled off, and their linebackers, particularly Troy Andersen, often took poor angles or overpursued. Atlanta also did a poor job containing Jalen Hurts in the pockets, as Hurts ran 13 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. Like the rest of the NFL, Atlanta had no answer for the “tush-push.”
The Pass Rush
Atlanta’s pass rush was actually better than Philadelphia’s in this game, but it was still poor. The Falcons got one sack from Matt Judon, and added five hurries – three from Grady Jarrett. The top edge rushers after Judon, Lorenzo Carter and Arnold Ebiketie, generated no sacks or pressures, and Carter didn’t even show up on the stat sheet at all! At least when Kaden Ellis got his hurry it helped seal the game.
The Little Things
Atlanta was only 2 of 9 on third-down conversions while allowing the Eagles to go 6 for 13. The Falcons did well keeping penalties to a minimum, committing only 3 for 40 yards, but they allowed Philly to dominate the time of possession, 35:39 to 24:21. Third down conversions and time of possession was an issue for Atlanta last week against Pittsburgh, as well.
The Meh
Kirk Cousins’ Achilles
For all of the furor over whether or not Cousins was really healthy or not after the loss to the Steelers (something this author was as guilty of as anybody else), his performance this past Monday night should put that talk to bed. Yes, his start against Philly was a little shaky, as referenced, above. Some of his passes were off the the mark and he seemed a bit out of sync. In the second half, however (again, as noted above), and when they needed him the most in that final drive (once again, see above), Cousins was ON! He put velocity on the ball when he needed to, touch on it when he needed to, and he was accurate. He navigated tight pockets without seeming flustered and moved just enough to keep the play alive. If this is the Kirk Cousins the Falcons have for the rest of the year, they should feel pretty good about their chances to make the playoffs.
Main Image: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
