Falcons able to hold on after second half push by Eagles, 26-24

ATLANTA Jordan Matthews knelt on the turf in disbelief. The Eagles’ hopes of continuing a potential game-winning drive went through his usually sure hands and to Atlanta’s Ricardo Allen, leaving the Eagles stunned in a season-opening 26-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday night.

Sam Bradford’s interception with 71 seconds remaining at the Eagles’ 29-yard line drive ended any hope of a victory, but the win appeared unlikely minutes earlier when kicker Cody Parkey missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt.

Coach Chip Kelly measured his options on the sideline with the clock ticking below three minutes. The Eagles were at Falcons’ 26-yard line, needing one more yard for a new set of downs.

Kelly sent Parkey on the field, a safe choice considering a field goal would give the Eagles a late fourth-quarter lead. It made sense until Parkey pushed his kick wide right to allow the Falcons to preserve the lead.

The pendulum of an NFL game showed on Monday, when the Eagles were Super Bowl contenders at kickoff, underachievers at halftime, high-powered in the third quarter, and conservative in the fourth quarter all knee-jerk reactions to the bigger picture of a talented team with weaknesses that were revealed and strengths that were apparent.

The pass defense struggled, allowing Matt Ryan to pass for 298 yards, but the offense was explosive in the second half.

The fourth quarter became a wild affair when the Eagles took the lead on a six-play, 80-yard drive midway through the period as Bradford completed four consecutive passes before Ryan Mathews punched in a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Falcons responded on their next offensive play when Ryan found Julio Jones streaking past Byron Maxwell too familiar of a sight for the Eagles on Monday for a 44-yard reception. Atlanta could not continue the drive, though, and the Eagles limited them to a Matt Bryant field goal that gave the Falcons a two-point lead.

But the Eagles needed to atone for their lackluster first-half play.

The rust that never showed in the preseason made a visit in the first quarter. The Eagles’ offense had three-and-outs on the first two drives and did not enter Falcons territory until their fourth drive. But the Falcons could not capitalize with touchdowns, allowing the Eagles to stay in the game.

A key play came on the Falcons’ second drive, when they were inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line and threatening to take a 10-point lead. Ryan tried finding Roddy White in the back of the end zone, but new Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso backpedaled and extended his left arm into the air while falling backward to haul in a highlight-worthy interception.

The game’s first touchdown did not come until the second quarter, when Ryan connected with Jones for a 4-yard touchdown to complete an 88-yard drive and take a 10-0 lead.

After the teams traded field goals, it appeared the teams would go into halftime with the Falcons holding a 10-point lead. But on first and 10 at the Eagles’ 27-yard line with 59 seconds before the break, Bradford had pass rushers in his face and an unclear picture of Atlanta’s secondary. He tried throwing to Zach Ertz, but the pass was intercepted by Falcons safety William Moore.

Ryan turned the turnover into a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jones to take a 20-3 lead into the locker room, leaving Kelly trying to fix an offense that mustered only 125 yards and a defense that could not cover Jones.

Those answers came in the third quarter. It started when Walter Thurmond intercepted Ryan and returned the ball to the 8-yard line, continuing the playmaking ability that he has demonstrated this summer after the team moved him from cornerback to safety.

That set up Murray’s 8-yard touchdown run around right end to give him his first score in an Eagles uniform.

The second touchdown came on the Eagles’ next drive, which started on their own 5-yard line but actually required them to go 97 yards because of a penalty. Bradford led a 13-play clinic that included two third-down conversions and 10 passing plays.

Three key plays required the skill players to thrive in the open field: a 19-yard reception by Jordan Matthews, a 12-yard completion to Murray, and Darren Sproles’ 27-yard rush from the Falcons’ 37-yard line. The Eagles cut Atlanta’s lead to 20-17 wen Murray caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bradford.

That set up the fourth-quarter seesaw. After Parkey’s missed field goal, the Eagles reclaimed possession at their 14-yard line with 1 minute, 49 seconds left and a chance to win. The interception ended those hopes, and now the Eagles enter a short week preparing for the Dallas Cowboys with a 0-1 record.

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