If the ending of the season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons felt familiar to you, don’t worry, you’re not losing it. The Falcons’ lost in eerily similar fashion due to an incomplete fade to Julio Jones on fourth-and-goal.
If the Falcons’ last-ditch throw to Julio Jones looked familiar, that’s because it was
The more things change the more they stay the same.
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In the NFC Divisional playoff game between the Eagles and the Falcons, the game ended on a mistimed jump by Jones (that wouldn’t have counted anyway considering he stepped out of bounds prior to the catch attempt). Just like last time, Malcolm Jenkins and the Eagles knew that the ball was going to Julio at the end of the game.
“[Ronald Darby] was either going to catch the ball, knock it away or knock Julio out of bounds before he could plant after a catch. Ronald had all of that covered because that was the technique, the plan and he executes. He knew they were coming his way, to Julio. We all knew.”
Even the overall tone of this game matched the game from January. Both defenses played well, both offenses struggled even though they were able to make big plays at times, and Eagles won the battle in the trenches — the Eagles’ defensive line dominated with four sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and 10 tackles for loss.
If the announcers didn’t incessantly refer back to the January game between these two teams, it would’ve felt like a replay. It came down the last play again, and the Eagles were able to hold on for victory in their home opener. If you felt déjà vu during the game, it’s understandable — so did we.
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