Week 8 versus the Philadelphia Eagles…This was the matchup in which several football gurus had the undefeated Atlanta Falcons going down. They were wrong. The Falcons went into Sunday’s game the 3-point underdog and with a 0-6 record in Philadelphia, making their 30-17 victory their first in Philly since October 30, 1988.
Photo By: Haley Bowers
Despite firing Juan Castillo and hiring Todd Bowles as the new defensive coordinator, the Eagles defense just couldn’t stop Atlanta’s rolling offense. The Falcons scored on their first six possessions—Matt Ryan throwing touchdown passes on three of them.
Former teammate Michael Vick did little to impress on the flip side, hitting LeSean McCoy for a 7-yard touchdown—Vick’s only touchdown pass of the game. The Falcons handed Vick his second loss in two starts against his former team since returning to the NFL in 2009. Not only was this the Eagles third straight loss after beginning the season 3-1, it was also their first loss in 14 games when coming off a bye week under coach Andy Reid.
As Philly’s season looks to be crumbling, the beat continues for Atlanta. Perhaps even more impressive than the Falcons being 7-0 for the first time in 47 years as a franchise is the fact that they have scored 23 or more points in every game this season. Only five other teams in NFL history have started the season 7-0 and scored 23+ points in each of those games—Packer (2011), Saints (2009), Patriots (2007), Vikings (1998), and Bills (1964).
Let’s hope the Falcons personal—and historical—streak continues in week 9 as the Cowboys come to town.
