7 p.m. Monday, KMGH-7, Eagles by 1 1/2
Last regular-season meeting: Eagles won 23-16 at Atlanta on Nov. 2, 2003.
Who knew: The Falcons, coming off an NFC South championship, have never won back-to-back division titles.
Spotlight on: Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick. Vick is arguably the greatest running threat among quarterbacks. He accounted for 902 yards last season, the third-highest total among NFL quarterbacks. Vick is averaging 7.31 yards per carry (304 attempts, 2,223 yards) during his career, putting him on pace to easily break the league record. Randall Cunningham averaged 6.36 (775 carries, 4,928 yards) in 16 NFL seasons.
Etc. Rematch of NFC championship game, won by Eagles 27-10. … Philly can join Raiders (1973-77) as second team to appear in five straight championship games. … The power of the pillow mints: Eagles an NFL-best 32-16 on the road during Andy Reid era. … Donovan McNabb last season became the first QB in NFL history to throw 30-plus TD passes (31) and fewer than 10 INTs (eight). Now if Terrell Owens would just talk to him. … Falcons, due in part to addition of ex-Broncos OL coach Alex Gibbs, led the loop at 5.1 yards per carry in 2004. Look for it to happen again with Vick a threat to tuck the ball away on any down. … Eagles have been NFC’s most dominant team since Reid’s arrival in 1999, witness their amazing 59-34-3 record against the point spread. … Falcons, under new D coordinator Ed Donatell, rose 18 spots – 32nd to 14th – in total defense in ’04. … Eagles coaches love rookie WR Reggie Brown, a second-rounder from Georgia. … Dirty Birds not the dominant team their record suggested in ’04: 7-8-1 against the spread.
Prediction: Falcons 32, Eagles 29
