- What: NFL Football Regular Season Game
- When: Monday, September 16
- Who: Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
The Philadelphia Eagles play host to the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field to conclude week 2 of the NFL season.
Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins made his return from an Achilles injury in Week 1, but he didn’t perform at his usual level. He primarily lined up in the shotgun and struggled to handle the Steelers’ relentless pass rush.
Cousins appeared immobile in the pocket and had difficulty executing longer dropbacks. Surprisingly, he didn’t attempt any play-action passes, which made the Falcons’ play-calling very predictable.
All I wanna do is go the distance ???? pic.twitter.com/p5TFBf3qNE
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 16, 2024
To succeed, the Falcons will need to rely on their passing game. Philadelphia’s secondary had vulnerabilities against Green Bay, allowing numerous big plays.
Their pass rush was also ineffective, which could allow Cousins to connect with his key targets, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. In Week 1, the pair only combined for six catches, a trend that the Falcons can’t afford to continue if they want to remain competitive.
Second-year stud back Bijan Robinson totaled 111 yards for the Falcons, nearly half of the team’s total offense.
Philadelphia Eagles
In their first game of the season, Philadelphia played against Green Bay last Friday in the NFL’s first-ever game on Brazilian soil. Saquon Barkley, a veteran back, scored three touchdowns in his Eagles debut.
With Philly WR A.J. Brown out due to a hamstring injury, Barkley will likely need to deliver another strong performance on Monday. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins’ debut for the Falcons didn’t go well.
IT’S FINALLY GAME DAY IN PHILLY!
????: @spector_art | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/zAVrbZF0CI
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 16, 2024
Over the past two regular seasons, the Eagles have gone 13-4 at Lincoln Financial Field, while the Falcons have had a rough road record of 3-14. The offensive line of the Eagles is graded as one of the best in football and is expected to create significant openings in the running game.
In Week 1, only two teams scored more points than the Philadelphia Eagles (34), and just three teams produced more total offense.
Even though Atlanta didn’t allow a touchdown, they lost in Week 1 to a Pittsburgh team led by Justin Fields, which is anticipated to have one of the least explosive offenses in the league.
Falcons-Eagles Best Bet
I think this is a terrible spot for the Falcons, the Eagles have had additional time to prepare for this game. Kirk Cousins and the Falcons will need more time to get in rhythm.
This is also the Eagles home opener so that crowd will definitely cause some issues for that Cousins and the Falcons offensive line.
The Eagles defensive line is solid and will force Kirk Cousins into some bad throws. I don’t think they can keep up with that Eagles offense even with them missing AJ Brown.
Bijan Robinson is a very talented player but leaning on him to beat the Eagles seems like a recipe for disaster. Kirk Cousins has never played particularly well in prime time either.
I’ll take the Eagles laying the 5.5 points as the best bet in this one.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
