Under Andy Reid, the Philadelphia Eagles were a perfect 13-0 when coming off of a bye each season going into Sunday’s showdown at home with the Atlanta Falcons.
Make that 13-1 now.
The Falcons, who were the only unbeaten team in the NFL going into Week 8 of the season, moved to 7-0 on the season after a dominating 30-17 victory on the road. It was a win that many thought wouldn’t happen, despite the fact that Atlanta had three more wins on the season than Philadelphia.
In fact, the Eagles were even the favorites going into the game according to Vegas.
Maybe now Atlanta should get some respect?
Not only did the Falcons win, they did it in very impressive fashion. Matt Ryan threw for three touchdowns, as the Falcons improve to 15-0 when Ryan throws for three touchdowns or more.
Atlanta scored on their first five possessions, including every time they had the ball in the first half, three touchdowns and a field goal and took a 24-7 lead going into the locker room as place kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 43-yarder with just :02 left in the opening two quarters.
Coming out of the half, Atlanta eventually pushed that lead to 20 when they got up 30-10, with the Eagles adding a late touchdown in the fourth quarter.
This was certainly a statement game for the Falcons, who will go back home in Week 9 and play the Dallas Cowboys in primetime on Sunday Night Football in what will certainly be a highly talked about match up all week long.
Atlanta is looking great on both sides of the ball, and in special teams. They were even able to rush the ball for 146 yards, which is an improvement as they ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing coming into the game. That is where their one weakness can be found, but Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers appear determined to fix that.
The win over the Eagles on Sunday should certainly warrant some respect for the critics of the Falcons, and especially the ones who were expecting them to go in and get beat.