Eagles vs. Falcons Week 2: What to Take Away from the Falcons' 1st Win

The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 35-31 last night in Atlanta. It was a great win for the recently struggling team, but let's not write off all issues right away. There were still a good amount of problems the Falcons dealt with in week 2.

One thing we know for sure: The Falcons know how to win in the Georgia Dome. Matt Ryan is now 21-2 in home games. When he leads this team under their own roof, things just seem to go the Falcons' way.

Last night proves the previous statement true. Despite being down 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Falcons managed to mount a comeback. They had a little help along the way.

Michael Vick went down late in the third quarter. Would the Eagles have won if Vick had stayed in the game? You can argue both sides of that scenario, but the fact is the Falcons won that game. Mike Vick's absence didn't cause Jeremy Maclin to drop a pass.

So what did we learn from this game?

First of all, Tony Gonzalez is still a beast. How old is this guy supposed be? After 15 years in the NFL he's still impressing everyone. Gonzalez finished last night's game with seven receptions for 83 yards and two scores, not a bad day for a 35-year-old, or for anyone.

Let's try the compliment sandwich. That was one good thing about the Falcons' play last night, so now we'll give a negative. The secondary looked atrocious, again. I know Vick is a dangerous player who is tough for any team to stop, but even Mike Kafka was going to down on these guys. 

Kafka finished 7-of-9 passing with 72 yards. It was obvious he was nervous at first, but the Falcons didn't do anything to slow him down. The only thing that saved them was Maclin's unsure hands.

The defensive line was unimpressive as well. Not one sack was recorded, and LeSean McCoy looked like he was having a good time running the ball. There were certainly some bright spots, though.

Peria Jerry caused a fumble that Ray Edwards took as far as he could go, until the track star, DeSean Jackson, tracked him down. It might have been a blown assignment, but Jerry did a great job disrupting the play.

More good, Michael Turner was really trying to earn his nickname. The Burner ran for 114 yards on 21 touches. He scored the last touchdown to put Atlanta ahead and also had a 61-yard run.

Sean Weatherspoon apparently received the memo from last week about poor tackling. He looked solid, along with the other linebackers. 

I'm not going to recap the whole game, but there are a few things the Falcons need to do as they look ahead.

Roddy White, where was he? Yes, he scored a touchdown to open up the shootout, but he only finished with three catches. Ryan needs to balance out his targets between White and Julio Jones. Jones finished with eight targets, but just two catches. It's nice to see him getting a lot of attention early, but Roddy is a proven star that's vital to this offense.

I know the Eagles have a good secondary, so let's hope White gets a little more involved next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sam Baker should probably be taught how to block; I think Ryan would appreciate it. Baker was manhandled by Trent Cole last night. The whole offensive line didn't look good in pass blocking to be honest. Ryan was sacked another four times, making that nine sacks allowed in two games. 

I'll rap things up with Matt Bosher. Please find someone new. He was the reason Philadelphia started with such great field position several times. And that 18-yard shank? Are we seriously paying this guy? Sorry if I'm being tough, but that kind of play isn't going to cut it the whole season.

Overall, I was pleased to see Atlanta step it up at the end of the game. They need to play with more urgency, though, throughout the game. Once they took the lead, the offense started to look anemic. 

This was a big step in the confidence of this team, especially as they start division play next weekend. They're on the right track again, but hopefully they can resolve some of their lingering troubles.