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Falcons Takeoff: Facts, stats, quotes from Atlanta's Monday Night Football win

A one-stop shop for an overall statistical and factual look at the Falcons-Eagles game in Week 2.

For the 2024 NFL season, team reporter Terrin Waack will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Atlanta Falcons are taking flight into the new week.

PHILADELPHIA — The Atlanta Falcons won 22-21 over the Philadelphia Eagles in a Monday Night Football showdown for their Week 2 game at Lincoln Financial Stadium in front of 69,879 ticketed fans.

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STELLAR STATS

-- Bijan Robinson became the first Falcons running back to have at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of the team's first two games of a season since Michael Turner did so in 2011. Robinson broke the mark in the third quarter thanks to a 19-yard run at the start of the second half. That put him at 105 yards overall. He finished with 122 yards against the Eagles and had 111 yards in Week 1.

-- The Falcons snapped the Eagles' strong September streak. Philadelphia was 7-0 in September since 2022 prior to Monday's loss. The last time the Eagles lost in the NFL's opening month was Sept. 27, 2021, to the Dallas Cowboys.

-- Atlanta put an end to one of its own September streaks on Monday, too. The Falcons were 0-6 since 2018 in road openers before this win. The last time they won their first road game of a season was Sept. 10, 2017, against the Chicago Bears.

-- Outside linebacker Matthew Judon recorded his first solo sack as a member of the Falcons in the third quarter on a first-and-10 play. It signified his fourth consecutive Monday Night Football game with at least one sack. The last time he didn't record a sack on a Monday night was Dec. 14, 2020 when his Baltimore Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns.

-- Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown five last-minute, game-winning touchdown passes since 2015. According to Tru Media, that's good for second-most in the NFL during that span. His latest was a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Drake London with 38 seconds remaining in the Monday night matchup.

OBSCURE FACTS

-- Monday marked only the second regular-season game in which Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't have both wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith active since Philadelphia acquired Brown in 2022. That's 32 starts for Hurts with his top two targets. Brown was inactive Monday. Smith was inactive in Week 18 of 2023 season.

-- After all the fuss made about the Falcons running 53.1% of their offensive plays out of the pistol formation in Week 1, Cousins lined up under center for Atlanta's first two plays. That's more under-center plays than the entire last game saw, which was just one, according to Next Gen Stats.

-- Neither team was able to convert on third down until the 6:43 mark in the second quarter, when Hurts ran 15 yards on a third-and-11 play. Before then, the Eagles were 0-of-4 and the Falcons were 0-of-3. That first successful third-down conversion also led to the first touchdown. Three plays later, Hurts found Smith for a 7-yard completion to score.

-- According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons had a 0.7% chance of winning with 1:56 left in the fourth quarter. Their comeback stacks up as the seventh-most improbable win since 2016.

-- The Eagles began each of the last two seasons at least 5-0. The last time they started 1-1 was in 2021, and the Falcons were involved then, too. That time, the Eagles defeated the Falcons but dropped the next game to the San Francisco 49ers to become 1-1. Oddly enough, the last time the Falcons started 1-1, the Eagles were involved, too. In 2019, the Falcons lost to the Minnesota Vikings and then beat the Eagles to reach 1-1.

QUOTING RAHEEM MORRIS

On being given the game ball after his first win as head coach…

"I've gotten a lot of game balls in my day. This one is really special because of that team, because of the people that work in our building, who you are really familiar with, and for the guys that we're doing it for. … It is special in our building. We want to make this thing a special place for us."

QUOTING THE FALCONS

Running back Bijan Robinson

On the offense's final touchdown drive…

"I couldn't believe it. I was looking at the other side, because I was on the other side. I didn't know what happened. Because Drake was walking like something happened. I was like, 'Did we score?' They put the touchdown up, and I was like, 'Bro, this is insane, this is amazing.' It was the best feeling ever. Obviously that drive was, like, perfect. It was just fun to be out there."

Safety Jessie Bates III

On his interception silencing Eagles fans who didn't offer a warm welcome…

QUOTING THE OPPONENT

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni

On the defensive effort toward Falcons running back Bijan Robinson…

"I thought the guys, early, had great effort to the football. We knew we needed to do that with Bijan, the way he can make somebody miss. It felt like when he would make somebody miss, there would be somebody right there on his hip. We knew he would get some that would make some guys miss, but our emphasis was trying to make sure we were there with the rest of the guys to pick up the pieces."

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts

On what he saw in red-zone efficiency…

"We're pretty aggressive in the red zone, coming out the gate early. Had some opportunities for sure to score in the red zone, and we didn't. I have much respect for that team we just played and that defense. They had two great safeties, a great defensive back group, and they were disruptive up front. When they had the opportunity to score in the end, they did. Much respect to them."

GAME LEADERS

Top 3 rushers

  1. Falcons: Bijan Robinson | 14 carries for 97 yards
  2. Eagles: Saquon Barkley | 22 carries for 95 yards
  3. Eagles: Jalen Hurts | 13 carries for 85 yards, a touchdown

Top 3 receivers

  1. Falcons: Darnell Mooney | three receptions for 88 yards, a touchdown
  2. Eagles: DeVonta Smith | seven receptions for 76 yards, a touchdown
  3. Falcons: Drake London | six receptions for 54 yards, a touchdown

Top 3 passers

  1. Falcons: Kirk Cousins | 20-29 for 241 yards, two touchdowns (sacked once)
  2. Eagles: Jalen Hurts | 23-30 for 183 yards, a touchdown (sacked once, intercepted once)
  3. N/A

Top 3 defenders

  1. Falcons: Jessie Bates III | 12 total tackles, seven solo (an interception, two pass breakups)
  2. Falcons: Kaden Elliss | 11 total tackles, six solo (a quarterback hit)
  3. Eagles: Reed Blankenship | 10 total tackles, nine solo

NEXT UP

The Falcons (1-1) have a quick turnaround for yet another prime-time game in Week 3, as they prepare to host the Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Action is scheduled to begin at 8:20 p.m. ET and will air live on NBC.

The Chiefs are coming off a one-point Week 2 win of their own from last Sunday, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals with a 26-25 final score at Arrowhead Stadium.

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field during Week 2, presented by Grady.

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