Falcons vs. Eagles prediction: Monday Night Football odds, picks, best bet Week 2
Week 2 of the NFL season wraps up with a “Monday Night Football” matchup between two playoff hopefuls in the NFC.Oddly, for the third straight year, Kirk Cousins is on the road in Philadelphia in Week 2 for a prime-time matchup.Can the Eagles get the better of the quarterback this time, as they have in each of the past two seasons?Let’s dive into the matchups and find an edge.Cousins had a rough debut for the Falcons in Week 1, ranking 26th in adjusted EPA/play and throwing two ugly interceptions.
He also had a 9.1 percent turnover-worthy play rate that ranked second on the week, per PFF.Much has been made about his lack of health in recovering from the Achilles injury, as he lacked mobility and struggled to plant on his right foot.Cousins is at his best when he’s under center and running play-action, but he attempted just one pass from under center in Week 1 and didn’t run a single play-action dropback.Whether he isn’t fully healthy enough to run Zac Robinson’s offense or the new offensive coordinator lacks the panache to run an offense with multiplicity and creativity, red flags were raised.The Falcons offensive line was a significant concern in Week 1 as they finished 27th in pass-block win rate.Facing T.J.
Watt and the Steelers can make any offensive line look bad, but Cousins was pressured on 39.3 percent of his dropbacks despite Pittsburgh only blitzing at a 14.3 percent rate.The interior play was especially rough, and the Eagles’ Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis could take advantage Monday night.Eagles fans should be encouraged by Kellen Moore’s offense in Week 1, especially regarding motion.Against the Packers, Philadelphia utilized motion on 48 of 73 plays (65.8 percent), the team’s highest mark in a game since 2020.Last year, the Eagles used motion at the lowest rate in the NFL (35.1 percent), per Next Gen Stats.Jalen Hurts seemed to love the new-look offense, completing 15-of-21 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns when the team use...