The 2018 NFL season kicked off — after a 45 minute weather delay — on Thursday night with the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Atlanta Falcons. If you watched the first half, you wouldn’t know these were two of the NFC’s best teams in 2017. Penalty flags were constantly flying and both teams’ quarterbacks were shaky at best. In fact, Matt Ryan was downright bad. In the end, it was the Eagles who came away with the 18-12 victory.
By the numbers: Matt Ryan crumbles as the Eagles defeat the Falcons
Some of the statistics from the Falcons vs. Eagles NFL season opener are so bad, they’re impressive.


Let’s take a look at some of the key numbers and stats from the first game of the NFL season.
57.4: Matt Ryan’s passer rating in a terrible opening performance for the Falcons quarterback. He finished 21 of 43 for 251 yards passing, no touchdowns and 1 interception. Yikes!
117: Passing yards for Nick Foles. The Eagles mustered up just 245 yards on offense in the game.
4: The number of red zone downs on the Falcons’ opening drive that did not include Julio Jones on the field. The Falcons failed to score after going for it on fourth-and-one. We missed you, Steve Sarkisian!
3: Points scored in the first quarter of the season. They came on a 21-yard Matt Bryant field goal for the Falcons.
0: The total yardage produced by the Eagles in the first quarter.
16: The number of penalties in the first half of the game.
16: Rushing yards by all Eagles players combined in the first half.
Unknown: The number of boos sounded by Eagles fans as the team ran into the locker room trailing 6-3 at halftime.
2: Catch rule debates and challenges in the game. Here’s why Julio Jones’ juggling circus catch didn’t count.
40 minutes and 19 seconds: How long it took for the first touchdown to be scored. It was a one-yard rushing score from Jay Ajayi.
1: Number of PATs missed after Bryant saw one doinked off the uprights. He was perfect on extra points last year.
169: Receiving yards from Julio Jones, who shined despite his team’s miserable play.
5: Falcons trips to the end zone, despite the team scoring only 12 points.
1-0: The Eagles’ record after a rough season opener. They’ll be hoping for Carson Wentz to heal up as quickly as possible.
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