Atlanta Falcons

Falcons show signs of identity shift in opening win

Published Sep. 15, 2015 12:01 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

One of the two teams in Monday night’s game at the Georgia Dome looked radically different than last December.

It wasn’t the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Atlanta Falcons were the ones displaying earmarks sorely lacking during last year’s 6-10 season that ended with the firing of head coach Mike Smith. And in the end, they were the ones sitting on the good side of a 26-24 score.

There was an effective pass rush serving as the motor for an inspired defensive effort in the face of Philadelphia’s rapid-fire attack.

There was a ground game marked by speed and perimeter runs that effectively attacked the edges of the Eagles’ defense. There was a competent offensive line that didn’t allow a sack following a rough preseason. There was play-action passing -- a staple of new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s system -- that kept the Eagles guessing by putting quarterback Matt Ryan on the move.

And there was the fulfillment of something the Falcons hadn’t done enough of in recent years, something that new Falcons head coach Dan Quinn preached behind the scenes to his players throughout the preseason: Finishing strong.

The Falcons did just that when Philadelphia’s comeback hopes were dashed with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining.

Fittingly, the hero was one of multiple players already benefitting from changes brought by Quinn. Ricardo “Rico” Allen, who was converted from cornerback to safety during the offseason, intercepted a deflected Sam Bradford pass to seal the win after the Falcons had squandered a 20-3 lead.

The Falcons blew a similar lead (21-0) in a similar fashion last season in Week 8 against Detroit, losing in London 22-21. The difference Monday night? Atlanta won this game.

As much as things are different under Quinn, the Falcons did rely upon two mainstays to carry the team to victory -- 26-year-old wide receiver Julio Jones and 40-year-old kicker Matt Bryant.

Jones showed he was worthy of every penny that came with the six-year, $81.4 million contract extension he signed two weeks ago. Targeted 11 times, Jones caught nine passes for 141 yards with two touchdowns. The longest gains came against Byron Maxwell, who is supposed to be Philadelphia’s high-priced solution to the lack of a shutdown cornerback in 2014.

After the Eagles had taken a 24-23 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Jones immediately put the Falcons into scoring range by beating Maxwell down the right sideline to snare a 44-yard Matt Ryan pass. Although the drive then stalled, Bryant came through with a 47-yard field goal that provided the margin of victory.

Bryant connected on his other three attempts, which is success that separated him from Eagles kicker Cody Parkey. After hurrying on the field following some brief indecision by Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, Parkey sent a 44-yarder wide right with 2:27 remaining.

Philadelphia’s offseason roster changes were even more radical than those in Atlanta. There were positive signs from some of those newcomers. Inside linebacker Kiko Alonso kept the Falcons from scoring on their second possession with a falling one-handed interception in the end zone. Walter Thurmond, who, like Allen, was converted from cornerback to safety during the offseason, intercepted a Ryan pass deep inside Falcons territory on the third play of the second half. The Eagles quickly converted with DeMarco Murray scoring on an 8-yard run to cut Atlanta’s lead to 20-10 and squash what had the makings of a Falcons blowout.

Bradford also grew increasingly comfortable as the game unfolded following his own rough Eagles quarterbacking debut. Using a short passing attack, Bradford completed 21 of 25 second-half passes for 219 yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons still kept Philadelphia’s offense sufficiently in check by utilizing a cover-three scheme -- a staple from when Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons -- that emphasized gang-tackling whenever a receiver caught a pass.

Matthews, a perfectionist who arrives early every morning at Eagles headquarters to catch 100 extra passes from a JUGS Machine, was distraught after his missed catch resulted in Allen’s interception. The fact he led the Eagles with 10 grabs for 102 yards meant nothing. Matthews remained in prayer position on his knees with hands on helmet after the play. Matthews eventually left the field, then sat on the bench longer than other players at game’s end and never looked up while taking a slow walk into the tunnel.

Murray couldn’t be feeling good about his night, either. His ballyhooed Eagles debut was a dud. Murray was held to negative-four rushing yards in the first half on four carries. He finished with nine yards on eight carries, which is a far cry from last season when Murray led the NFL in rushing with Dallas with 1,845 yards.

“It just felt like we were playing behind the sticks all day,” Bradford said.

Matthews and Murray are certain to rebound. They are too talented not to like much of Philadelphia’s radically overhauled roster.

“We are going to learn from our approach,” Kelly said. “What we did in the second half, we can build upon that.”

Yet games like Monday night’s raise recurring questions about whether Kelly’s style of football can succeed over the entire course of a season. The Eagles again placed a heavy strain on their defense with its offensive pacing as Atlanta kept possession for 35:27.

The Falcons displayed a balance missing in the final two seasons of Smith’s reign with rookie Tevin Coleman’s 20-carry, 80-yard performance leading the way. Two other draft picks -- outside linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. (first round) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (fifth) -- provided life to a defense that generated the NFL’s lowest sack total the past two seasons.

“I think the thing we learned the most is that, number one, from the competitive side, that there are some terrific competitors here,” Quinn said.

The most impressive newbie of all was Quinn. No knock on Smith, who is worthy of another head-coaching opportunity after reaching the playoffs four times during his seven seasons with the Falcons. But the life that Quinn has infused into Atlanta’s locker room through his high-energy approach has the Falcons headed on the right path early in his tenure after the franchise had lost its way.