# Eagles–Falcons rivalry

The Eagles–Falcons rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. The rivalry first emerged when the Falcons rallied in the fourth quarter against the Eagles in the 1978 Wild Card Round, and only intensified further in the 2000s with the emergence of star dual-threat quarterbacks in Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick.
The two teams do not play every year; instead, they play once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium due to the NFL's rotating division schedules during which the NFC East and NFC South are paired up against each other, sometimes more often if they meet in the playoffs, or if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions, they would play each other the following season.

## History

As of 2024, the Eagles lead the all-time series 21–16–1, and have a 3–1 playoff record. The Eagles were the Falcons' second-ever opponent in the latter's inaugural 1966 season. In that game, Philadelphia won 23–10 as Atlanta went on to finish their first season at 3–11. It was not until 1978, however, that the rivalry truly took off.

### 1978 Wild Card Round

The Falcons finished the 1978 season 9–7, earning their first-ever playoff berth. Their reward was a home playoff game against the Eagles in the Wild Card Round. The Falcons initially trailed 13–0, but rallied to win 14–13. The turning point of the game came when Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski launched a deep pass to wide receiver Wallace Francis, who simultaneously caught the ball with Eagles defender Herm Edwards. Under NFL rules, Atlanta maintained possession following the simultaneous catch, gaining 49 yards in the process. Bartkowski later connected with tight end Jim Mitchell for a 20-yard touchdown, followed by a 37-yard touchdown pass to Francis late in the fourth quarter. Falcons kicker Tim Mazzetti scored the extra point to give Atlanta the lead. Philadelphia punter Mike Michel, who was thrust into kicking duties after a late-season injury to placekicker Nick Mike-Mayer, missed a potential game-winning 34-yard field goal, and was cut soon after.

### 2000s: Donovan McNabb vs. Michael Vick

Both the Eagles and Falcons would meet almost frequently over the next several years, but in the early 2000s, the rivalry was reignited with the arrival of Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick. The two mobile quarterbacks met for the first time in the 2002 Divisional Round. However, the game failed to live up to the billing, as the Eagles defense sacked Vick (274 passing yards, 30 rushing yards) three times and forced two interceptions, including a 39-yard touchdown return by Bobby Taylor. Meanwhile, McNabb finished with 247 passing yards, 24 rushing yards and a touchdown as Philadelphia won 20–6.
McNabb and Vick would meet once more in the 2004 NFC Championship Game, but the result again favored the Eagles in a 27–10 blowout victory. While McNabb had 180 passing yards, 32 rushing yards and two touchdowns (both were thrown to tight end Chad Lewis), Vick only managed 136 passing yards and 26 rushing yards. Vick was also sacked four times and intercepted twice.
McNabb had defeated Vick in each of their first two meetings, but in Week 1 of the 2005 season, Vick finally bested McNabb in a meaningful contest. In the Monday Night Football opener (the series' final season with ABC until 2020), the Falcons defeated the Eagles 14–10, with Vick scoring the game's first touchdown on a seven-yard run. Overall, the two quarterbacks faced each other in only three of a possible five times during their respective tenures with the Eagles and Falcons. In 2003, Vick missed the Eagles–Falcons game due to a leg injury he suffered in the preseason; the Eagles won 23–16. Then in 2006, McNabb did not play due to a serious knee injury in the Eagles' 24–17 win.
Following a dog-fighting scandal and a 21-month prison sentence, Vick was released by the Falcons after the 2008 season. The Eagles eventually signed Vick prior to the 2009 season, and in his first game in Atlanta with the Eagles, Vick scored two touchdowns while serving as McNabb's backup in the Eagles' 34–7 rout. Vick eventually reclaimed the starting job during the 2010 season after McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins.

### Recent years

After releasing Vick, the Falcons groomed Matt Ryan, a Philadelphia native, whom they chose with the third pick in the 2008 NFL draft, as its new starter. In the 2011 season, Ryan and Vick faced each other for the first time as starting quarterbacks. Vick's second return in Atlanta did not go well, as he suffered a concussion and left the game. Ryan's four touchdowns helped the Falcons defeat the Eagles 35–31, his first career victory over Philadelphia. Ryan also defeated Vick in 2012 as the Falcons cruised to a 30–17 victory. It was also Atlanta's first win in Philadelphia since 1988.
The Eagles and Falcons would not meet again until the Kickoff of the 2015 NFL season under the Monday Night Football lights. A new look Eagles led by quarterback Sam Bradford and third-year coach Chip Kelly against Matt Ryan and new Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. Despite a 20–3 lead mounted by the Falcons going into halftime, the Eagles came back and took the lead midway in the fourth quarter with a Ryan Mathews rushing touchdown that gave the Eagles a narrow 24–23 lead. However, the Falcons drove down the field and regained the lead with a Matt Bryant field goal. The Falcons defense sealed the win with a Ricardo Allen interception off of Bradford. This would eventually be the Eagles' last visit to the Georgia Dome as the stadium was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017.
The two teams would meet again the following season with the 6–3 Falcons, sporting a high-flying Falcons offense led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, going up against a 4–4 Eagles team now led by the rookie quarterback-head coach tandem of 2016 second overall pick Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson. Despite the Falcons being favorites entering the game, the Eagles mostly held them in check and didn't allow them to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, when Matt Ryan found receiver Taylor Gabriel for a 76-yard touchdown pass to take a 15–13 lead (Matt Bryant missed the extra point after). However, the Eagles answered with 11 unanswered points and held on for a 24–15 upset win.
The Eagles and Falcons resumed their playoff rivalry in the 2017 Divisional Round. While Ryan had remained the Falcons' quarterback to that point, the Eagles were now led by Nick Foles, who originally replaced Vick in 2013 and later replaced an injured Carson Wentz as the starter that season. The Falcons entered the contest as the defending NFC champions, while the Eagles were the top seed in the NFC. Despite being home underdogs, the Eagles managed to win 15–10 after stopping the Falcons on a goal-line stand in the final minute. Foles passed for 246 yards, while Ryan ended up with 210 passing yards and a touchdown. The game's key points were scored by Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who, having missed the extra point on the Eagles' lone touchdown of the game, scored three consecutive field goals, the first coming in the final seconds of the first half with the Eagles trailing 10–6.
A rematch took place in the form of the 2018 NFL Kickoff Game. Much like their playoff meeting the previous year, the Eagles defense stopped yet another potential Falcons' game-winning touchdown in an 18–12 victory. Eagles running back Jay Ajayi scored the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles broke up a potential Ryan touchdown pass to Julio Jones on the final play following an illegal contact on fourth down gave the Falcons one additional play.
The following season, the two teams met again in Week 2 on Sunday Night Football. In the first meeting between the two teams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons prevailed, defeating the Eagles 24–20 in part due to a go-ahead, 54-yard touchdown by Julio Jones off of a screen pass from Matt Ryan late in the game.
The Eagles and Falcons met again in Week 1 the 2021 season, but this time it was Ryan with new head coach Arthur Smith (who replaced Dan Quinn after a 5-year run with the franchise) against a young and rebuilding Eagles team led by second year quarterback Jalen Hurts and new head coach Nick Sirianni. The Eagles dominated the game from start to finish en route to a 32–6 win over the Falcons.
The teams met for the third time on Monday Night Football, this time in Week 2 of the 2024 season. In a game featuring new Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and new head coach Raheem Morris, Atlanta narrowly won 22–21, as Cousins led a 70-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a go-ahead touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left in the game.

## Season–by–season results

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons Season-by-Season Results :
1960s (Eagles, 2–1)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
1966
Eagles 23–10
Franklin Field
Eagles 1–0
Falcons join the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team. They were placed in the Eastern Conference.
1967
Eagles 38–7
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Eagles 2–0
Eagles record their largest victory against the Falcons with a 31–point differential and score their most points in a game against the Falcons.
1969
Falcons 27–3
Franklin Field
Eagles 2–1
Falcons record their largest victory against the Eagles with a 24–point differential. :
1970s (Falcons, 3–1–1)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
1970
Tie 13–13
Franklin Field
Eagles 2–1–1
First and only tie game in the series.
1973
Falcons 44–27
Veterans Stadium
Tied 2–2–1
Falcons score their most points in a game against the Eagles.
1976
Eagles 14–13
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Eagles 3–2–1
1978 playoffs
Falcons 14–13
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Tied 3–3–1
NFC Wild Card Round. Falcons' first playoff game as a franchise.
1979
Falcons 14–10
Veterans Stadium
Falcons 4–3–1
Falcons take first lead in the series. :
1980s (Eagles, 4–3)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
1980
Falcons 20–17
Veterans Stadium
Falcons 5–3–1
Eagles lose Super Bowl XV.
1981
Eagles 16–13
Veterans Stadium
Falcons 5–4–1
1983
Eagles 28–24
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Tied 5–5–1
1984
Falcons 26–10
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Falcons 6–5–1
1985
Eagles 23–17(OT)
Veterans Stadium
Tied 6–6–1
1986
Eagles 16–0
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Eagles 7–6–1
1988
Falcons 27–24
Veterans Stadium
Tied 7–7–1 :
1990s (Falcons, 3–2)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
1990
Eagles 24–23
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Eagles 8–7–1
1994
Falcons 28–21
Georgia Dome
Tied 8–8–1
1996
Eagles 33–18
Georgia Dome
Eagles 9–8–1
1997
Falcons 20–17
Georgia Dome
Tied 9–9–1
1998
Falcons 17–12
Georgia Dome
Falcons 10–9–1
Falcons lose Super Bowl XXXIII. :
2000s (Eagles, 7–1)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
2000
Eagles 38–10
Veterans Stadium
Tied 10–10–1
First start in the series for Donovan McNabb. Eagles tied their most points scored in a game against the Falcons (1967).
2002 playoffs
Eagles 20–6
Veterans Stadium
Eagles 11–10–1
NFC Divisional Round. First start in the series for Michael Vick.
2003
Eagles 23–16
Georgia Dome
Eagles 12–10–1
2004 playoffs
Eagles 27–10
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 13–10–1
NFC Championship Game. Eagles lose Super Bowl XXXIX.
2005
Falcons 14–10
Georgia Dome
Eagles 13–11–1
Michael Vick's only head-to-head victory over Donovan McNabb in the Eagles–Falcons rivalry, as well as the only regular season meeting. Vick would later defeat McNabb as an Eagle in 2010 against the Redskins, but it marked the final meeting between the two quarterbacks. McNabb defeated Vick in three of five matchups all-time.
2006
Eagles 24–17
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 14–11–1
2008
Eagles 27–14
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 15–11–1
First start in the series for Matt Ryan.
2009
Eagles 34–7
Georgia Dome
Eagles 16–11–1
Michael Vick's first game in Atlanta since joining the Eagles. Final start in the series for Donovan McNabb. :
2010s (Tied, 4–4)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
2010
Eagles 31–17
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 17–11–1
2011
Falcons 35–31
Georgia Dome
Eagles 17–12–1
First-ever meeting between Michael Vick and Matt Ryan. Ryan's first victory against the Eagles.
2012
Falcons 30–17
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 17–13–1
Final start in the series for Michael Vick. Falcons' first win in Philadelphia since 1988.
2015
Falcons 26–24
Georgia Dome
Eagles 17–14–1
2016
Eagles 24–15
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 18–14–1
Falcons lose Super Bowl LI.
2017 playoffs
Eagles 15–10
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 19–14–1
NFC Divisional Round. Eagles win Super Bowl LII.
2018
Eagles 18–12
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 20–14–1
NFL Kickoff Game.
2019
Falcons 24–20
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Eagles 20–15–1 :
2020s (Tied, 1–1)
SeasonResultsLocationOverall seriesNotes
2021
Eagles 32–6
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Eagles 21–15–1
Head coaching debut for both coaches, Nick Sirianni for Philadelphia and Arthur Smith for Atlanta. Final start in the series for Matt Ryan.
2024
Falcons 22–21
Lincoln Financial Field
Eagles 21–16–1
Eagles only home loss in their 2024 season. Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. :
Summary of Results
SeasonSeason seriesat Philadelphia Eaglesat Atlanta FalconsNotes
Regular season
Eagles 18–15–1
Eagles 9–7–1
Eagles 9–8
Postseason
Eagles 3–1
Eagles 3–0
Falcons 1–0
NFC Wild Card: 1978 NFC Divisional: 2002, 2017 NFC Championship: 2004
Regular and postseason
Eagles 21–16–1
Eagles 12–7–1
Tied 9–9 :