• Kirk Cousins looked far more comfortable: After a disastrous Week 1, Cousins used more play action in Week 2 and powered the Falcons to a come-from-behind win.
• DeVonta Smith stepped up in A.J. Brown's absence but lacked efficiency: Smith saw 10 targets but managed only 76 receiving yards and 2.17 yards per route run.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Atlanta Falcons came back from both a disastrous Week 1 loss and a fourth-quarter deficit in their Week 2 Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, winning 22-21 on the road. Here is our initial statistical review.
Game Summary
According to PFF's new noise-canceled score metric, the Falcons deservedly won the game. Both teams moved the ball well overall, but Atlanta was more consistent on early downs.
Passing Summary
It looked like Kirk Cousins finally felt comfortable enough to use play action under center again after suffering a torn Achilles in 2023, and it turned out to be fruitful for the Falcons' passing attack.
Without A.J. Brown in the lineup, the Eagles‘ passing game couldn’t create efficient targets for Jalen Hurts, who was mostly reduced to scrambles.
Receiving Summary
DeVonta Smith stepped in for A.J. Brown in terms of target share but couldn’t quite get there in terms of efficiency on those targets.
Darnell Mooney and Drake London split targets evenly, with Mooney producing more because he had the one break-out catch for a touchdown. Meanwhile, Ray-Ray McCloud was responsible for crucial late-down catches to keep the chains moving.
Rushing Summary
Both teams had efficient running games on early downs that helped them move the ball throughout the game.
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