This surely won’t go over well with Philadelphia Eagles fans. Even though ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano prefaced it by saying it’s a “Hail Mary pick,” his favorite upset for Week 2 is the Atlanta Falcons downing the Eagles.
“Yeah, that’s right. The Falcons looked terrible. I know I was there, right on the sideline watching T.J. Watt take up residence in their backfield. But they have to be better than that, and I think you’ll see it against an Eagles secondary that’s still putting things together,” Graziano wrote on ESPN.com.
Related: Where do the Eagles and Falcons land on the latest NFL offense rankings?
“Plus, we have zero data on how teams perform the week after playing in Brazil. What if the Eagles are still feeling the effects of travel?”
Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons both struggled in Week 1
Jalen Hurts picked on first drive of the season 😳
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 7, 2024
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/R0IkomD84A
The Eagles did struggle in their 34-29 Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. Jalen Hurts threw two ill-conceived interceptions — including on the first drive of the season — and the defense gave up 163 rushing yards.
But, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith shined on the offensive side of the ball, while rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell looked like the real deal.
However, as Graziano noted above, the Falcons played terribly in their 18-10 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kirk Cousins: 4 years $180 million
— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) September 8, 2024
Sell the franchise right now pic.twitter.com/Tgs6ujWOod
In his Falcons debut after signing for $180 million, Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. He finished the game with 156 passing yards and a 59 quarterback rating as he was harassed by Watt and the Steelers defense for most of the game.
The Eagles are 6.5-point favorites ahead of their game against the Falcons at home next Monday night.
Related: NFL Week 2 predictions