"There was no last-second field goal, no clutch fumble recovery, no tipped-pass interception. On a day without their usual heroics, the Falcons turned predictable and got beat by a backup quarterback, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-17 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Kevin Kolb, replacing an injured Michael Vick as Philadelphia's starting quarterback, completed 23 of 29 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns to end the Falcons' four-game winning streak andthem to 4-2. The Eagles improved to 3-3. "It was a very tough day for the Atlanta Falcons," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "It's very difficult when you fall behind 21-0." During the streak, the Falcons pulled out late victories over New Orleans, San Francisco and Cleveland. It wasn't always what they did, but what they didn't let happen. Over the last two games, the Falcons hadn't allowed a play of 20 yards or more while facing San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith and Cleveland quarterbacks Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme. However, the Eagles rattled off four big plays early in the game and then dropped an 83-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin over the Falcons' secondary in the third quarter. In all, they had eight plays that went for 20 yards or more, and that was more than Atlanta could handle. The Eagles attacked the Falcons' defense from the outset with a variety of misdirection plays, reverses and screen passes." http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/eagles-use-big-plays-684444.html
