Week 2 of the NFL season is already upon us, and on Monday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles are hosting the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles are 6.5-point favorites at NFL betting sites, but we’ll examine how each team could do in this game. Full Week 2 odds are available here as well, along with a sportsbook promo for this week below.
Eagles favored over Falcons ahead of NFC matchup
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How the Eagles could win and cover the spread
The Eagles had 17 pressures, including two sacks, in Week 1 against a quarterback who has some mobility in Jordan Love. Kirk Cousins, coming off an Achilles injury, was pressured 11 times and sacked twice in Atlanta’s 18-10 Week 1 loss.
The Falcons allowed 137 rushing yards in Week 1 to a combination of Steelers running back Najee Harris, quarterback Justin Fields, and others.
If the Eagles can get pressure on Cousins, continue running the ball well, and limit the turnovers from Jalen Hurts (he completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in Week 1), the game could go well for them.
How the Falcons could cover the spread
Based on their Week 1 performance, the Falcons appear to have a lot of work to do, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The Atlanta defense held the Steelers out of the end zone in Week 1, allowing 18 points on six field goals.
On offense, Cousins completed 16 of 25 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. It was his first game coming off an Achilles tear. One key for the Falcons here could be to get the running game going and utilize play-action plays from offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
In Week 1, the Falcons didn’t run a single play-action play. It’s hard to know whether that’s from Cousins’s injury limiting him, though. Bijan Robinson had 18 carries in Week 1 for 68 yards (3.8 yards per carry).
