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As we bandage our wounds in the aftermath of Sunday’s shellacking at the hands of the Vikings, we also look forward to a highly anticipated matchup with the Eagles. It’s obviously very early yet, but this is a critical game at the beginning of the season against a team that’s confounded the Falcons in recent meetings.
We’ve got all the news and notes in Thursday’s Falcoholinks as we turn our gaze toward Week 2.
Eagles on deck for Week 2
The first battle of the birds for Atlanta will take place on Sunday Night Football, as the Eagles head into town this weekend. So what can we expect? Philadelphia’s defense presents plenty of opportunities for Atlanta to take advantage of, and conversely, so does the Falcons’ defense.
The Falcons opened up as 2.5 favorites at home, but that line has shifted, and they’re now slight underdogs in their home opener. Those odds would likely move into the Falcons favor if they were able to add a Jason Peters or Lane Johnson to their squad, but that’s a mere pipe dream.
Our own Jeanna Thomas has been tracking the notes from practice, and she has the update from yesterday’s practice as well as the injury report ahead of Sunday’s game.
Kaleb McGary, Jamon Brown named starters
The Falcons lost first-round guard Chris Lindstrom to a broken foot in the first game of the season, so some reshuffling on the offensive line was in order. Jamon Brown was not active against Minnesota, but he has been named the starting right guard ahead of Atlanta’s tilt with Philadelphia.
Kaleb McGary, another first-round selection, was part of a right tackle rotation with Ty Sambrailo in last Sunday’s game, but he will see the start against Philly, as well. In his media availability on Wednesday afternoon, Dan Quinn said the rotation isn’t expected to be the norm, but merely a way to get McGary enough reps to get back to full speed.
Offensive tackle Matt Gono is also on the mend from a back injury that kept him from the game in Minnesota, but it’s likely that he’s inactive on game day.
Dan Quinn said not trying to keep that rotation going at RT wit McGary/Sambrailo. Just trying to get McGary fully ready off heart procedure. Said McGary of rotation, “Coaches pulled us aside and said we’re going to rotate every two drives. We just did what we were told.’’
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) September 11, 2019
The Falcoholic Live Ep. 83
In episode 83, The Falcoholic Live skipper Kevin Knight is joined by editor-in-chief Dave Choate to dissect Atlanta’s miserable loss against Minnesota, and also look forward to Sunday night’s clash against Philadelphia. If you slacked on your fandom and missed the live broadcast, you can catch the full episode right here.