NFL Week 1 preview
EAGLES (4-11-1) AT ATLANTA (4-12)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
OPENING LINE: Falcons by 3; SERIES: Eagles, 20-15-1
LAST MEETING: Falcons, 24-20, 2019
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (24t), RUSH (9), PASS (28), SCORING (26).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (23), PASS (15), SCORING (20).
FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (27), PASS (5), SCORING (16).
FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (6), PASS (32), SCORING (19).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles minus-10; Falcons plus-3
KEY MATCHUP: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. Falcons secondary. Atlanta allowed more passing yards than any team in the NFL a year ago and has two new safeties. That should provide some inviting targets for Hurts.
SERIES NOTES: Eagles are 11-5against Atlanta since 2000, including playoffs . ... Eagles are 4-1in season openers since 2016, while the Falcons haven’t won their first game since 2017 . ... Eagles are 94-73-1 on the road since 2000, fourth-best record in NFL . ... Falcons haven’t had much of a home-field advantage since moving into MercedesBenz Stadium in 2017, going 14-18in Atlanta, 2-6last season.
Starting Sunday at Atlanta will be just the fifth start of Jalen Hurts’ NFL career.
ETC.: Eagles’ Nick Sirianni and Atlanta’s Arthur Smith are both in their first heading coaching jobs at any level . ... Hurts makes his fifth career start. He was 1-3as a rookie last season . ... Despite starting only four games, Hurts became only the fourth QB since 1950to produce two games with 300-plus yards passing and 60-plus yards rushing . ... Falcons’ WR Calvin Ridley had eight games with at least 100yards receiving in 2020, most in the NFL and third most in franchise history.