The Eagles had to mount a big second-half comeback to beat the Redskins at home last week. The Falcons trailed 28-0 with no chance to rally to beat the Vikings in the fourth quarter.
Now Philadelphia (1-0) and Atlanta (0-1) face off in another prime-time matchup in Week 2 on "Sunday Night Football" following their matchup in the Week 1 Thursday night opener last season.
Carson Wentz missed that opener with Nick Foles needing to fill in. Matt Ryan has put up mixed results against his hometown team. That quarterback duel headlines an important early NFC inter-divisiion matchup.
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Betting odds for 'Sunday Night Football'
- Spread: Eagles -2.5
- Point total: 52.5
- Odds: Eagles -105, Falcons -105
This matchup opened as a pick 'em, but the Eagles have a slight edge entering the weekend. The point total for over/under has ranged between 51 and 52.5. Both teams are at -105.
Eagles vs. Falcons all-time series
The Eagles have a 20-14-1 record edge in the "birds of prey" rivalry. Philadelphia has won three consecutive games, including in the 2017 playoffs. Before then, Atlanta won three straight from 2011-15. Matching the streaky nature of the series, Philadelphia was riding four straight from 2006-10.
Three trends to know
— The Falcons are only 5-13 against the spread in their past 18 meetings with the Eagles, going 0-3 of late.
— The game has gone under the total in the past three matchups, with each team scoring fewer than 20 points five times.
— 60 percent of bettors are leaning toward the Eagles, and 69 percent are going with the over.
Three things to watch
The Falcons' run defense
Atlanta gave up 172 yards rushing in Minnesota to open the season, the fourth-highest total of the week. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins needed to attempt only 10 passes. The Eagles fell into a unfavorable game script against the Redskins, not allowing them use Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard as effectively as desired. To help the Eagles' defense and open up the deep passing game for Wentz, expect them to be more dedicated to the run.
The Eagles' pass defense
Philadelphia gave up 370 yards passing to a Redskins team quarterbacked by Case Keenum, missing left tackle Trent Williams and featuring rookie Terry McLaurin as their best wide receiver. The secondary struggled to cover wideouts all over the field. Falcons wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are both coming off scoring in garbage time against the Vikings. Jones has owned the Eagles in 5 games, averaging more than 7 receptions and 119 yards.
Tough for the tight ends
Fellow Stanford products Zach Ertz and Austin Hooper have both been quiet in this series. The Falcons are back healthy with Deion Jones and Keanu Neal to help slow down Ertz, while Ryan should focus less on Hooper and more on throwing more downfield to exploit the Eagles' shaky cornerbacks.
Stat that matters
Wentz was very effective throwing deep last week, averaging 8.0 yards per attempt. Ryan couldn't get anything going downfield, averaging only 6.6. Those numbers should meet somewhere in the middle this week. Through their committee, the Eagles managed to rack up 123 rushing yards last week. The Falcons had only 73. Wentz is set up to keep it up to outduel Ryan in a controlled dome environment.
Eagles vs. Falcons prediction
The offenses are too loaded in the passing game with some good deep running games to not think this will be a high-scoring affair. The defenses have some good pieces in the front seven, but there are plenty of holes for both Wentz and Ryan to exploit. This one feels like a classic that comes down to a late field-goal drive.
Final score
Eagles 34, Falcons 31
