Eagles–Falcons rivalry

Philadelphia Eagles–Atlanta Falcons
First meetingSeptember 18, 1966
Eagles 23, Falcons 10
Latest meetingSeptember 12, 2021
Eagles 32, Falcons 6
Next meetingTBA
Statistics
Meetings total37
All-time seriesEagles, 21–15–1
Regular season seriesEagles, 18–14–1
Postseason resultsEagles, 3–1
Most recent
January 13, 2018
Eagles 15, Falcons 10
Largest victoryEagles 38–7
October 8, 1967
Longest win streakEagles, 4
Current win streakEagles, 1
(2021–present)

The Eagles–Falcons rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. The rivalry first emerged when the Falcons upset the Eagles in the 1978 Wild Card Round, and only intensified further in the 2000s with the emergence of star dual-threat quarterbacks in Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick.

History

As of 2021, the Eagles lead the all-time series 21–15–1, and have a 3–1 playoff record. The Eagles were the Falcons' second-ever opponent in the latter's inaugural 1966 season. In that game, Philadelphia won 23–10 as Atlanta went on to finish their first season at 3–11. It was not until 1978, however, that the rivalry truly took off.

1978 Wild Card Round

The Falcons finished the 1978 season 9–7, earning their first-ever playoff berth. Their reward was a home playoff game against the Eagles in the Wild Card Round. The Falcons initially trailed 13–0, but rallied to win 14–13. The turning point of the game came when Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski launched a deep pass to wide receiver Wallace Francis, who simultaneously caught the ball with Eagles defender Herm Edwards. Under NFL rules, Atlanta maintained possession following the simultaneous catch, gaining 49 yards in the process. Bartkowski later connected with tight end Jim Mitchell for a 20-yard touchdown, followed by a 37-yard touchdown pass to Francis late in the fourth quarter. Falcons kicker Tim Mazzetti scored the extra point to give Atlanta the lead. Philadelphia punter Mike Michel, who was thrust into kicking duties after a late-season injury to placekicker Nick Mike-Mayer, missed a potential game-winning 34-yard field goal, and was cut soon after..

2000s: Donovan McNabb vs. Michael Vick

Both the Eagles and Falcons would meet almost frequently over the next several years, but in the early 2000s, the rivalry was reignited with the arrival of Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. The two mobile quarterbacks met for the first time in the 2002 Divisional Round. However, the game failed to live up to the billing, as the Eagles defense sacked Vick (274 passing yards, 30 rushing yards) three times and forced two interceptions, including a 39-yard touchdown return by Bobby Taylor. Meanwhile, McNabb finished with 247 passing yards, 24 rushing yards and a touchdown as Philadelphia won 20–6.

McNabb and Vick would meet once more in the 2004 NFC Championship Game, but the result again favored the Eagles in a 27–10 blowout victory. While McNabb had 180 passing yards, 32 rushing yards and two touchdowns (both were thrown to tight end Chad Lewis), Vick only managed 136 passing yards and 26 rushing yards. Vick was also sacked four times and intercepted twice.

McNabb had defeated Vick in each of their first two meetings, but in Week 1 of the 2005 season, Vick finally bested McNabb in a meaningful contest. In the Monday Night Football opener (the series' final season with ABC until 2020), the Falcons defeated the Eagles 14–10, with Vick scoring the game's first touchdown on a seven-yard run. Overall, the two quarterbacks faced each other in only three of a possible five times during their respective tenures with the Eagles and Falcons. In 2003, Vick missed the Eagles–Falcons game due to a leg injury he suffered in the preseason; the Eagles won 23–16. Then in 2006, McNabb did not play due to a serious knee injury in the Eagles' 24–17 win.

Following a dog-fighting scandal and a 21-month prison sentence, Vick was released by the Falcons after the 2008 season. The Eagles eventually signed Vick prior to the 2009 season, and in his first game in Atlanta with the Eagles, Vick scored two touchdowns while serving as McNabb's backup in the Eagles' 34–7 rout. Vick eventually reclaimed the starting job during the 2010 season after McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins.

2010s–present: Matt Ryan vs. the Eagles

After releasing Vick, the Falcons groomed Matt Ryan, whom they chose with the third pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, as its new starter. In the 2011 season, Ryan and Vick faced each other for the first time as starting quarterbacks. Vick's second return in Atlanta did not go well, as he suffered a concussion and left the game. Ryan's four touchdowns helped the Falcons defeat the Eagles 35–31, his first career victory over Philadelphia. Ryan also defeated Vick in 2012 as the Falcons cruised to a 30–17 victory. It was also Atlanta's first win in Philadelphia since 1988.

The Eagles and Falcons would not meet again until the Kickoff of the 2015 NFL season under the Monday Night Football lights. A new look Eagles led by QB Sam Bradford and HC Chip Kelly against Matt Ryan and new Falcons HC Dan Quinn. Despite a 20-3 lead mounted by the Falcons going into halftime, the Eagles cameback and took the lead midway in the 4th Quarter with a Ryan Mathews rushing TD that gave the Eagles a narrow 24-23 lead however the Falcons drove down the field and regained the lead with a Matt Bryant field goal. The Falcons defense held the Eagles highlighted by a Ricardo Allen interception off of Sam Bradford to seal the 26-24 victory for the Falcons. This would eventually be the Eagles last visit to the Georgia Dome as the stadium was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017.

The two teams would meet again the following season with a high-flying Falcons offense led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones with a 6-3 record against a Eagles team now lead by the rookie QB-HC tandem of 2016 2nd Overall Pick QB Carson Wentz and HC Doug Pederson going in with a 4-4 record. The Eagles shocked the Falcons holding them in check until the 4th quarter when Matt Ryan found WR Taylor Gabriel for a 76 yd TD pass to take a 15-13 Falcons lead (Matt Bryant missed the extra point after). However the Eagles answered with 11 unanswered points and held on for a big 24-15 upset win over one of the NFL's top offenses.

The Eagles and Falcons resumed their playoff rivalry in the 2017 Divisional Round. While Ryan had remained the Falcons' quarterback to that point, the Eagles were now led by Nick Foles, who originally replaced Vick in 2013 and later replaced Carson Wentz as the starter that season. The Falcons entered the contest as defending NFC champions, but the Eagles managed to win 15–10 after stopping the Falcons on a goal-line stand in the final minute. Foles passed for 246 yards, while Ryan ended up with 210 passing yards and a touchdown. The game's key points were scored by Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who scored three consecutive field goals after the Eagles trail 10–9 in the second quarter.

A rematch took place to kickoff the 2018 season. Much like their playoff meeting the previous year, the Eagles defense stopped yet another potential Falcons' game-winning touchdown in an 18–12 victory. Eagles running back Jay Ajayi scored the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles broke up a potential Ryan touchdown pass to Julio Jones on fourth down. Wentz later reclaimed the starting quarterback position, but in 2019, his Eagles were on the short end of a 24–20 defeat as Jones scored the game-winning touchdown and the Falcons defense prevented the Eagles from scoring on their final drive.

The Eagles and Falcons met for the first time in the 2020s decade to kickoff their 2021 seasons this time it was Matt Ryan with new HC Arthur Smith (who replaced Dan Quinn after a 5 year run with the franchise) against a young rebuilding Eagles team led by 2nd year QB Jalen Hurts who replaced Carson Wentz as the starting QB in Philadelphia as Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason and also new HC Nick Sirianni (who replaced HC Doug Pederson after a 4 year run with the franchise). The Eagles dominated the Eagles from start to finish enroute to a 32-6 win over the Falcons and their first win in Atlanta since 2009.

Game results

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons Season-by-Season Results
1960s (Eagles, 2–1)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
1966 Eagles
23–10
Franklin Field Eagles
1–0
Falcons' inaugural season.
1967 Eagles
38–7
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Eagles
2–0
1969 Falcons
27–3
Franklin Field Eagles
2–1
1970s (Falcons, 3–1–1)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
1970 Tie
13–13
Franklin Field Eagles
2–1–1
First and only tie game in the series.
1973 Falcons
44–27
Veterans Stadium Tied
2–2–1
1976 Eagles
14–13
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Eagles
3–2–1
1978 playoffs Falcons
14–13
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Tied
3–3–1
NFC Wild Card Round. Falcons' first playoff game. Only playoff game between the two teams to take place in Atlanta.
1979 Falcons
14–10
Veterans Stadium Falcons
4–3–1
Falcons take first lead in the series.
1980s (Eagles, 4–3)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
1980 Falcons
20–17
Veterans Stadium Falcons
5–3–1
Eagles lose Super Bowl XV.
1981 Eagles
16–13
Veterans Stadium Falcons
5–4–1
1983 Eagles
28–24
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Tied
5–5–1
1984 Falcons
26–10
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Falcons
6–5–1
1985 Eagles
23–17(OT)
Veterans Stadium Tied
6–6–1
1986 Eagles
16–0
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Eagles
7–6–1
1988 Falcons
27–24
Veterans Stadium Tied
7–7–1
1990s (Falcons, 3–2)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
1990 Eagles
24–23
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Eagles
8–7–1
1994 Falcons
28–21
Georgia Dome Tied
8–8–1
1996 Eagles
33–18
Georgia Dome Eagles
9–8–1
1997 Falcons
20–17
Georgia Dome Tied
9–9–1
1998 Falcons
17–12
Georgia Dome Falcons
10–9–1
Falcons lose Super Bowl XXXIII.
2000s (Eagles, 7–1)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
2000 Eagles
38–10
Veterans Stadium Tied
10–10–1
First start in the series for Donovan McNabb.
2002 playoffs Eagles
20–6
Veterans Stadium Eagles
11–10–1
NFC Divisional Round. First start in the series for Michael Vick.
2003 Eagles
23–16
Georgia Dome Eagles
12–10–1
Vick missed the game due to injury.
2004 playoffs Eagles
27–10
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
13–10–1
NFC Championship Game. Eagles lose Super Bowl XXXIX.
2005 Falcons
14–10
Georgia Dome Eagles
13–11–1
Michael Vick's only head-to-head victory over Donovan McNabb in the Eagles–Falcons rivalry, as well as the only regular season meeting. Vick would later defeat McNabb as an Eagle in 2010 against the Redskins, but it marked the final meeting between the two quarterbacks. McNabb defeated Vick in three of five matchups all-time.
2006 Eagles
24–17
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
14–11–1
McNabb missed the game due to injury.
2008 Eagles
27–14
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
15–11–1
First start in the series for Matt Ryan. Only meeting between Donovan McNabb and Matt Ryan.
2009 Eagles
34–7
Georgia Dome Eagles
16–11–1
Michael Vick's first game in Atlanta since joining the Eagles. Final start in the series for Donovan McNabb. Only game in the rivalry in which McNabb and Vick were teammates. Chris Redman started the game for the Falcons in place of an injured Matt Ryan.
2010s (Tied, 4–4)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
2010 Eagles
31–17
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
17–11–1
Kevin Kolb started the game for the Eagles in place of an injured Michael Vick.
2011 Falcons
35–31
Georgia Dome Eagles
17–12–1
First-ever meeting between Michael Vick and Matt Ryan. Ryan's first victory against the Eagles.
2012 Falcons
30–17
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
17–13–1
Final start in the series for Michael Vick. Falcons' first win in Philadelphia since 1988.
2015 Falcons
26–24
Georgia Dome Eagles
17–14–1
2016 Eagles
24–15
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
18–14–1
First of two meetings between Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz in the rivalry. Falcons lose Super Bowl LI.
2017 playoffs Eagles
15–10
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
19–14–1
NFC Divisional Round. First of two meetings between Matt Ryan and Nick Foles in the rivalry. First postseason game in which a #1 seed is an underdog in the Divisional Round. Eagles win Super Bowl LII.
2018 Eagles
18–12
Lincoln Financial Field Eagles
20–14–1
NFL Kickoff Game. Last of two meetings between Matt Ryan and Nick Foles in the rivalry. Foles also defeated Ryan in 2020 with the Chicago Bears in relief of Mitchell Trubisky.
2019 Falcons
24–20
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Eagles
20–15–1
Last of two meetings between Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz in the rivalry.
2020s (Eagles, 1–0)
Season Results Location Overall series Notes
2021 Eagles
32–6
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Eagles
21–15–1
Head coaching debut for both coaches, Nick Sirianni for Philadelphia and Arthur Smith for Atlanta.
Summary of Results
Season Season series at Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons Notes
Regular season Eagles 18–14–1 Eagles 9–6–1 Eagles 9–8
Postseason Eagles 3–1 Eagles 3–0 Falcons 1–0 NFC Wild Card Round: 1978. NFC Divisional Round: 2002, 2017. NFC Championship Game: 2004
Regular and postseason Eagles 21–15–1 Eagles 12–6–1 Tied 9–9

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Dave Choate (September 13, 2015). "Falcons-Eagles rivalry history: Bitterness and bitter defeats abound over 31 games". SB Nation. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Dave Choate (September 8, 2021). "What is the defining moment of the Falcons - Eagles rivalry?". SB Nation. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "» Eagles Kicked Out of Playoffs by Falcons in 1978 Philly Sports History".
  4. ^ "Classic Rewind: Falcons Fly Past Eagles for Wild Card Win | Sports then and Now". 13 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Ryan Papaserge (September 29, 2010). "Michael Vick Vs. Donovan McNabb: A Look Back (And Ahead)". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Falcons, Eagles building quite a rivalry". Associated Press (via Deseret News). September 14, 2005. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "Vick picks up 2 TDs in lopsided Atlanta return as Eagles stomp Falcons". Associated Press (via ESPN). December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Matt Ryan's career-high 4 TDs rally Falcons over hurt Michael Vick, Eagles". Associated Press (via ESPN). September 19, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  9. ^ "Matt Ryan throws 3 touchdowns, helps Falcons remain unbeaten". Associated Press (via ESPN). October 29, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Eagles vs. Falcons - Game Recap - September 14, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  11. ^ Ricardo Allen Interception to Seal the Game | Eagles vs. Falcons | NFL, retrieved 2022-01-03
  12. ^ "Falcons vs. Eagles - Game Recap - November 13, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  13. ^ "Eagles use goal-line stand, Elliott FGs to beat Falcons". Associated Press (via ESPN). January 14, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Ed Kracz (May 12, 2021). "Eagles Open Season in Atlanta, Where There is Plenty of History with Falcons". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Eagles stop Ryan to Jones again, beat Falcons 18-12". Associated Press (via ESPN). September 7, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  16. ^ "Jones scores late TD, leads Falcons past Eagles 24-20". Associated Press (via ESPN). September 16, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  17. ^ "Eagles vs. Falcons - Game Recap - September 12, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.

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