Falcons Win This Round, 14-10

The Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t wait to get started on their rematch of the NFC championship game -- two players got kicked out before the game kicked off.

Then, it was the Falcons who got a bit of payback.

Michael Vick ran for one touchdown and set up another with a long pass, enough to give Atlanta a 14-10 victory over the Eagles on Monday night.

Clearly, emotions were running high. Jeremiah Trotter of the Eagles and Kevin Mathis of the Falcons were ejected after a scuffle broke out in pregame warmups, setting an intense tone for the rest of the night.

The Eagles, after falling behind, 14-0, in the first quarter, shut down Vick the rest of the way. But they couldn’t come all the way back, their final bid denied when Donovan McNabb took a vicious hit from Rod Coleman on a fourth-down pass, the ball dropping far short of Terrell Owens streaking down the sideline with 1:33 left.

Vick kneeled a couple of times to run out the clock, giving the Falcons a victory over the team that knocked them out of the playoffs two of the last three years.

Less than eight months ago, the Eagles beat Atlanta, 27-10, for the NFC title in frigid Philadelphia.

“This goes to show how far we’ve come since 2004,” Vick said. “We were playing a great team like Philly on a Monday night with everybody watching. That’s what you play the game for. We certainly stepped up to the challenge.”

About a half-hour before kickoff, with thousands of fans still making their way into the Georgia Dome and the players going through routine warmups, the teams began jawing at each other near midfield.

Trotter, the Eagles’ three-time Pro Bowl linebacker, apparently shoved Mathis, a backup cornerback. Mathis responded with a punch. Then, everyone got into it.

“He threw a punch and I tried to block it,” Trotter said. “I got the facemask and they must have thought it was a punch. We were just trash talking. I don’t think anyone should have been ejected.”

But the officials, after consulting the replay monitor, decided to eject Trotter and Mathis -- a ruling that definitely favored the Falcons. Mathis is a bit player, used mainly in passing situations, while Trotter anchors the middle of the Philadelphia defense.

Second-year player Mike Labinjo, who got in only three games as a rookie, made his first career start in place of Trotter. The Falcons took advantage, rushing for 200 yards.

Warrick Dunn led the way with 113 yards in 20 carries.

“It’s unfortunate that happened,” Eagle Coach Andy Reid said of the pregame fracas. “That’s no excuse. Absolutely no excuse.”

Atlanta raced to a two-touchdown lead before the game was 15 minutes old. Vick hooked up with Michael Jenkins and Alge Crumpler on a pair of 18-yard passes, then finished off things with a seven-yard scoring run.

The electrifying quarterback took off around right end, getting so free that he was able to hold the ball aloft at the five and leap over the goal line.

The Falcons scored again less than three minutes later. Vick lofted a 58-yard pass to Michael Jenkins, who hauled it in just short of the end zone. T.J. Duckett bulled over from the one on the next play.

Vick struggled the rest of the way, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. He completed 12 of 23 passes for 156 yards, but did manage 68 yards rushing.

The Eagles have been Team Turmoil since losing to New England in the Super Bowl. Owens demanded a new contract, sulked when he didn’t get it and began taking shots at his teammates and coaches.

Owens caught seven passes for 112 yards, but the Falcons kept him out of the end zone.