It's just one game, but Monday's 14-10 win has Atlanta feeling it has caught the Eagles.
By Associated Press
Published September 14, 2005
ATLANTA - The Falcons finally showed they could beat the Philadelphia Eagles, but it was merely a season opener. No Super Bowl at stake in this one.
Maybe that will come toward the end of the season.
"We know we're going to see this team again," Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall, savoring a 14-10 victory Monday night but already looking ahead to another shot at the Eagles in the playoffs.
Clearly, this has the look of an increasingly bitter rivalry.
The players were throwing punches before the game even started, then went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes. Michael Vick ran for one touchdown, set up another with a long pass, then turned things over to a defense that kept Philadelphia from coming all the way back.
"We take our hats off to them," Eagles linebacker Keith Adams said. "Hey, you take it like a man."
Besides, one regular-season victory doesn't make up for two playoff losses. In 2003, Philadelphia knocked out the Falcons in the divisional round. In January, the Eagles beat Atlanta 27-10 in the NFC Championship Game.
But the Falcons feel they are finally ready to challenge the conference's powerhouse.
"They thought they were going to bully us around," Falcons newcomer Ed Hartwell said. "Hey, we're not going to be bullied."
That was evident about a half-hour before the kickoff. The teams started jawing in warmups, a scuffle broke out and punches were thrown. When it was sorted out, Philadelphia's Jeremiah Trotter and Atlanta's Kevin Mathis had been ejected.
The tone was set.
The Eagles fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, then shut out Vick the rest of the way. But their comeback was turned back when Donovan McNabb took a vicious hit from Rod Coleman on a fourth-down pass, the ball dropping far short of Terrell Owens streaking down the sideline with 1:33 left.
"I think we proved our point," said Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who matched up with Owens most of the night.
