Julio Jones may have scored the game-winning touchdown in the Falcons’ 24-20 win over the Eagles, but it was the defense that kept them in the game and bailed them out time and time again.
Here are five takeaways from Atlanta’s prime-time win over Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football.
Atlanta’s secondary dominated
Desmond Trufant set the tone with an early interception of Carson Wentz, but he wasn’t done. He had another drive-killing pick in the second quarter to give back the momentum to Atlanta.
Second-year corner Isaiah Oliver was outstanding all night. He mostly played tight coverage and made the key open-field tackle that won the game on fourth down. Keanu Neal had a team-high nine tackles. Rookie Kendall Sheffield punched the ball out during a second half kick return, leading to a Falcons touchdown a few plays later.
This was a spectacular showing from a secondary that was overdue for one.
The pass rush was on point
Atlanta’s pass rush also showed up in this one. Takk McKinley pestered Wentz a ton and collected two QB hits and a tackle for a loss. Adrian Clayborn and Grady Jarrett were stout up front, combining for six tackles and two sacks. Even much-maligned defensive end Vic Beasley came up with a huge sack on third down in the red zone in the game’s final minute.
The Falcons’ pressure caused Philly to settle for shorter looks instead of taking deep shots like they did in Week 1. Injuries to their receivers certainly played a part, but pressure was a key factor in Atlanta’s win.
Calvin Ridley is an elite No. 2 WR
Ridley hasn’t just become the team’s clear No. 2 option at wide receiver, he’s become one of the best secondary wideouts in the entire league. Ridley finished with a team-high eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, Julio Jones out-shined the second-year receiver with 106 yards and two scores on five catches. For the year though, Ridley has a team-leading 169 receiving yards. Together, Jones and Ridley look like a lethal duo that will give defensive coordinators nightmares for several more years to come.
Injuries plagued both teams
It’s easier to name the players that didn’t get injured in Sunday night’s contest. The list included Carson Wentz, DeSean Jackson, Kaleb McGary, Damontae Kazee, Zach Ertz and many more. Wentz came back and played well enough to bring the Eagles back, though.
Atlanta got a bit lucky with both of Philadelphia’s starting receivers staying out for most of the game. But after what happened to their team in 2018, Falcons fans won’t be feeling guilty about taking this hard-fought win.
Matt Ryan almost gave the game away
Ryan threw one interception that wasn’t his fault, as it bounced off of Mohamed Sanu’s hands. The second one, however, was a bad forced throw on an Eagles blitz. The third one was even worse, and Ryan was looking rattled late.
However, Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter finally came up with the right call to neutralize Philly’s blitzing. He called up a brilliant screen pass on fourth down which Ryan, Julio Jones, Jake Matthews and the rest executed to perfection.
The Falcons have to feel good about how it ended, but Ryan’s going to have to take better care of the ball going forward. He has already thrown five interceptions this season compared with seven all of last year.
Follow @TheFalconsWire and @MattUrben on Twitter!
.png?w=600)
