Falcons vs. Eagles 2018 live results: Score updates and highlights

The Divisional Round kicks off with our most avian matchup of the playoffs: the Falcons and the Eagles. Atlanta is playing its best football of the season right now and is favored on the road, but Philadelphia still won 13 games this season, even as the team tries to navigate the postseason without Carson Wentz.

Follow along and we’ll keep you updated with all the highlights and news from the game.

First quarter

Falcons 3, Eagles 0: Nick Foles has had a rough start to the game, but so have the Falcons corners. After a couple of off-target throws by Foles (to be fair, it’s a bit windy in Philly), Desmond Trufant was called for PI on third down, giving the Eagles a first down — even as Foles as yet to complete a pass.

Jay Ajayi has shaken off the fumble, gaining chunks of yards to get the Eagles another first. But then LeGarrette Blount caught the fumbilities, losing and then recovering a handoff.

Foles finally completed a pass right after that, but then he took a sack on the next play, putting the Eagles out of field goal range.

There was worse news for the Falcons on that play: rookie defensive end Takk McKinley was hurt on the play.

Falcons 3, Eagles 0: The Falcons took advantage of the turnover, picking up a couple first downs and getting into scoring position. They stalled around the 15-yard line, but luckily they have ageless kicker Matt Bryant, who knocked a 33-yard field goal through for the first points of the game.

Eagles 0, Falcons 0: Well, this has been an eventful start to the game. Nick Foles listened to our own Geoff Schwartz and took a shot down the field — and oooh boy, it was an ugly pass. But, he was bailed out by a pass interference call on Brian Poole.

And then Poole was bailed out on the very next play, when Jay Ajayi fumbled the ball, recovered by Falcons safety Keanu Neal:

Atlanta got the ball at its own 26-yard line.

What you need to know before the game

The Philadelphia Eagles are the top seed in the NFC, but they’re a much different team without Carson Wentz, who was injured late in the regular season and won’t be participating in the playoffs. They will play their first matchup of the postseason on Saturday as they host the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round.

Saturday’s game is set for 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream).

The Falcons are coming off a solid Wild Card Round win over the Los Angeles Rams. Atlanta won that game on the road, and they’ll have to win two more as they are the sixth seed in the NFC.

In the win, Matt Ryan completed 21 of 30 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown while being sacked three times. The Falcons rushed for 124 yards as a team, 66 of them coming from Devonta Freeman. Julio Jones had a great day, as usual, with nine receptions on 10 targets for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Falcons looked good, holding the Rams to 13 points and allowing Jared Goff to complete just over 50 percent of his passes with only the one touchdown. The Rams lost a pair of fumbles, and that was the turning point for the Falcons.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, is well rested after getting a bye for the Wild Card Round. They are the top seed in the conference, but they are without Wentz at quarterback, a major concern. Wentz can keep up with Ryan and handle the Atlanta defense.

Nick Foles, on the other hand, will have his hands full. He played in the final three games of the regular season, throwing for five touchdowns and two interceptions. He went 4 for 11 for a paltry 39 yards and an interception in a Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys where he was replaced by Nate Sudfeld, but is expected to start against the Falcons.

The Eagles have a long way to go, and they have to do it without Wentz.

Pregame reading

Expecting Foles to play lights out in the playoffs just isn’t realistic. The Eagles can’t just count on him to carry the team. Philadelphia really needs to rely on Jay Ajayi and the run game. Jim Schwartz’s defense REALLY needs to continue to be a lockdown unit at home.
But Foles can’t play super conservative and scared. He needs to give this team a chance to make some big plays in the passing game. The hope is he recognizes the difference between aggressive and reckless.

The Eagles have a truly fearsome defense keyed by one of the league’s most imposing defensive lines, and thus the Falcons are going to have to fight even harder than usual to push down the field. The more drives that start from the 15 or even 10 yard line versus the 25 or even further downfield, the more acute that struggle is going to become. This is a game where every yard and every point is probably going to matter unless Nick Foles completely implodes, so it’ll be incumbent on the return game to make smart decisions and avoid penalties.

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