A Monday doubleheader will get started with a matchup of teams that both hope to be contenders in the NFC, as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to face the Atlanta Falcons.
‘Monday Night Football’ 2015 live stream: How to watch Eagles vs. Falcons online
The Eagles and Falcons have high expectations on offense, but question marks surround the defenses, and they could kick off Monday night with a shootout.
Typically Monday Night Football broadcasts don’t get started until 8:30 p.m. ET, but with a pair of games on the docket, things will get started in Atlanta a little earlier than usual, with kickoff at the Georgia Dome scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
For the Falcons, it will be the first game of the Dan Quinn era after seven seasons under Mike Smith came to an end with a 6-10 season in 2014. After three straight seasons with trips to the postseason thanks to a high-powered offense, Matt Ryan and the Falcons leveled off and earned just 10 wins in the last two seasons, finishing near the middle of the NFL in points scored.
That was largely due to a rushing attack that finished at No. 24 in the NFL in 2014 and struggled to get anything going with Steven Jackson in the backfield. Now Jackson is gone and replaced with third-round rookie Tevin Coleman, who is expected to get the start on Monday.
To get his career started off quickly, he'll have to find running room against an Eagles defense that finished near the bottom of the NFL in 2014, but added Kiko Alonso in a trade for LeSean McCoy.
While Alonso will draw eyes to the Eagles defense, there's no question what makes Philadelphia a top contender and that's the Chip Kelly-led offense. With Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews added to an offense that finished with the third-most points in the NFL in 2014, there stands reason to believe the Eagles could be even more prolific on the offensive side of the ball.
That could make for some real growing pains for the Atlanta defense, which will begin a transition to Quinn's defensive philosophies. While it isn't quite a switch to 3-4 defense and more of an odd-based front like the one that the Seattle Seahawks ran with Quinn as defensive coordinator, it's still a transition and the Falcons will rely on new faces like Tyson Jackson, Paul Soliai and Vic Beasley to play big roles.
The Falcons finished dead last in total defense in 2014, yet managed to force the sixth-most turnovers in the NFL, tied with the Eagles. If either team is able to force turnovers, it could slow a pair of offenses that are both adept at moving down the field in hurry.
Still, most expect the Eagles to get the 2015 season started on the right foot with oddsmakers setting the road team as a 3-point favorite, according to OddsShark.
How to watch online
When: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN
See More:
