Eagles drop home opener to Falcons; Nick Foles retires; Jason Kelce takes over; A.J. Brown to miss more time

Kelce hopped into the booth in the third quarter to help out Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the Birds’ first offensive drive of the quarter, this time in a green suit.

“I think people are probably tired of seeing my face, but it keeps working out,” Kelce said.

He shared his insights into the offensive line, especially his successor, Cam Jurgens. During his final years in Philly, a big part of Kelce’s role was to train Jurgens to eventually take over for him. He watched on with pride as Jurgens ran the Birds’ most successful Tush Push of the season, but Jeff Stoutland looked on like it was just expected.

Nick Sirianni is not the biggest fan of in-game interviews.

“I don’t want to talk to anybody at that time except my coaches and players,” Sirianni told 94 WIP in 2023.

He’d successfully put off ever having to do it — until Monday. NFL VP of broadcasting rights Cathy Yancy testified that for 2024, each NFL team would be required to make their head coach available for an in-game interview, NBC reported in July. So before the start of the second half on Monday, Sirianni talked to Salters.

On 4th and 3 from the 38, Jalen Hurts ripped off his best run of the season to move the chains and give the Eagles a first down in the red zone.

A penalty on Hurts backed the team up, followed by a negative play, but a nine-yard run on second down set up this third-down run by Hurts.

And that led to the Eagles' first score — a seven yard-touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith — and their first lead of the game.

Eagles fan and Knicks star Jalen Brunson joined the Monday Night Countdown team on the field pregame in a Jalen Hurts jersey.

The Villanova legend picked the Birds to win, like the entire pregame show crew, piggybacking off Jason Kelce’s “Birds by 50.” Brunson also shared his take on a long-running New Heights discussion — whether it would be easier for NBA players to play football or vice versa.

“It’s easier for an NBA guy to play in the NFL, not to say it’s easy, it’s easier,” Brunson said. “Like, if you [Kelce] were guarding the pick and roll, nah.”

Nick Foles, when asked, said he wanted his legacy to be “that I helped my teammates be better. Not just as players, but as people.” Among his favorite moments, he said, was being on the field during warmups before the Eagles played the Vikings in the NFC Championship game.

“Y’all were so loud,” Foles said, addressing Eagles fans. “Y’all were dancing. We were dancing. I had to pause and just watch and take it in and realize how blessed I was to play for a great city and great organization.

“The energy in that stadium, there’s been nothing like that.”

Jason Kelce, clad in a green Italia sweatsuit he borrowed from Big Dom DiSandro during the show's opening, fired up the crowd with Eagles chants to open Monday Night Countdown.

Behind him in underdog masks? Special guests Nick Foles, the guest of honor who is retiring as an Eagle today, and Fletcher Cox, who also played his entire career in Philly and retired this offseason.

Kelce walked through the crowd, high-fiving the massive group of Eagles fans assembled outside Xfinity Live! to get to the set with Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spears.

Eagles linebacker Devin White won’t be active for Monday night’s game vs. the Falcons, NFL sources said.

White didn’t travel in the Eagles’ opener vs. the Packers in Brazil because of an ankle sprain. He’s healthy now, but will not dress for the home opener.

White, who the Eagles signed to a one-year $4 million contract in free agency, was beat out by Nakobe Dean for the middle linebacker spot in training camp.

The Eagles made a series of roster moves in advance of their Monday night home opener against the Atlanta Falcons, signing Nick Gates to the active roster and elevating Parris Campbell and E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad.

In order to make room on the active roster to sign Gates, an offensive lineman, the Eagles waived Patrick Johnson, a depth linebacker and core special-teams member whom the Eagles selected in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Tulane.

Gates, 28, figures to serve as the backup center on the game day roster. The sixth-year veteran spent the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants and last year with the Washington Commanders, playing a total of 57 games (39 starts) at guard and center. Gates was a practice-squad elevation in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.

Nick Foles won't be the only former Eagles player on the field at halftime of the Birds' home opener against the Falcons. Former wide receiver Jason Avant will be there too. Dancing. Salsa dancing.

In honor of Latino Heritage Month, the Eagles' halftime entertainment on Monday will feature dancers from three area studios dancing alongside Avant, who became hooked on salsa dancing after a friend invited him to a class.

"All my life I've heard it, but then when I got invited to a class, I just fell in love with it and that inspired me to take courses," Avant told the team website. "I travel to conferences to learn and to get better at it and then I joined a team that dances at different places around the country at different times. So it just turned into a life of its own, and I'm a very addictive personality. Once I get into something, it's kind of hard to stop me."

Jason Kelce's next chapter after retirement will include appearances on ESPN’s Monday night football coverage. But for the first time he conducted a sit down interview with someone he's gotten to know well: Jalen Hurts. 

Kelce’s first question to Hurts had to be the best of the 10-minute interview: “Do you miss me?” Kelce asked, jokingly.

The two discussed their relationship as teammates. Hurts thanked Kelce for how he welcomed the quarterback to the team as a rookie. 

Eagles' Zack Baun was once a standout basketball player in Wisconsin who had grown disinterested in football.

West Bend East, his former high school where he was a wide receiver, lacked a strong program. But he decided to give the sport another chance.

Ten years and two more position changes later, the versatile Baun is settling in as a starting inside linebacker.

After a far-from-perfect season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil, the Eagles return home against the Falcons. Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 2.

Jeff McLane: They should have some momentum coming off a season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil that was sloppy, but offered areas to be optimistic about. I think the Eagles clean up their mistakes and cruise at the Linc.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Falcons 16

The Eagles ruled out A.J. Brown with a hamstring injury on Sunday ahead of their Monday night home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Brown, the team’s top receiver, popped up on the injury report Friday as a limited participant in practice. Coach Nick Sirianni said that Brown’s hamstring “got a little tight” and held him back as a “cautionary” measure. Brown, 27, did not participate in practice on Saturday and was initially listed as questionable on the injury report before he was downgraded on Sunday afternoon.

Additionally, Johnny Wilson, the 6-foot-6, 228-pound rookie receiver, is listed as questionable to play with a hamstring injury. Sirianni said Saturday before practice that the depth receivers, namely Jahan Dotson, would be ready to roll if Brown was not healthy enough to play.

Coming off their season-opening win in Brazil, the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) will face the Atlanta Falcons (1-0) tonight on Monday Night Football.

Not only is it the Eagles home opener at Lincoln Financial Field, Birds fans will see a familiar face leading up to kickoff — former center Jason Kelce, who is part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame show this season.

Kelce, who made a memorable debut on Monday Night Football last week, will start tonight at Xfinity Live! before heading into the Linc to finish the broadcast from the sidelines. That might lead to complaints of bias and favoritism from Falcons fans, but Monday Night Countdown host Scott Van Pelt plans to lean into that during tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Eagles and Falcons is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN. Fans in the Philly TV market can also tune into the game on 6abc.

Back in the booth for their third season at ESPN (and their 23rd together calling NFL games) are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, along with King of Prussia native Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines at Lincoln Financial Field. Joining Salters this season is NFL Live host Laura Rutledge.

Eagles-Falcons will also air on the radio on 94.1 WIP, where fans can listen to the familiar voices of Merrill Reese and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick. WIP host Howard Eskin will handle sideline reporting duties.