Written by Tim McManus at ESPN.com
The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday’s game boasting the league’s top offense, but Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Leodis McKelvin felt there was a weakness to exploit.
“I was telling the defense, this is the type of team, they are a front-runner. They are a front-running team,” he said. “If you go out there and make some stops, they eventually are going to be dying down.”
McKelvin started the game as a spectator due to a hamstring injury but was called into action after fellow corner Nolan Carroll II left with a concussion.
McKelvin factored into several plays, and he ended up with the game-sealing interception, which he said was the result of the Falcons going to the same well one too many times.
“They actually ran the same play back-to-back,” McKelvin said. “Don’t do that. That was just a bad mistake. They ran the same play back-to-back, and I made a play.”
It wasn’t all pretty for McKelvin. He bit badly on a fake by Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel that led to a 76-yard touchdown, then failed to take advantage of a couple opportunities, including a gift interception down the stretch that could have iced the game. He got a shot at redemption, however, and cashed in with the late pick.
“Third time is the charm,” he said with a smile. “They came back with the same play.”
The Falcons came into the game boasting the league’s top offense, ranking first in scoring (34 points per game) and second in both passing and total yards per game. The Eagles’ defense held the Falcons to just one touchdown and a season-low in points in a 25-14 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.
Ryan finished the game 18-of-33 for 267 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Wide receiver Julio Jones had his typically productive day, catching 10 balls for 135 yards, but was kept out of the end zone and had a key drop with 5 minutes, 26 seconds remaining.
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