Jessie Bates III interception caps off another strong defensive performance in Falcons win over Eagles

PHILADELPHIA — When Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ final pass left his hand, the cheers were hopeful, growing in volume as the ball flew toward its intended target of wide receiver DeVonta Smith deep in Atlanta Falcons’ territory.

Too bad for the home crowd, safety Jessie Bates III swooped in for an interception instead.

The roar of Lincoln Financial Field quickly faded as reality set in. The Eagles wouldn’t get to attempt a game-winning field goal. The Falcons would win, 22-21.

Bates’ pick came with 27 seconds remaining. It was the final exclamation point on a wild Monday Night Football fourth quarter.

“It felt great,” Bates said. “I didn’t care who had it. It didn’t matter if it was me or (Justin Simmons). Or even if was a sack fumble. Anything. I just wanted to win.”

The victory marked the Falcons’ first of 2024. Atlanta lost, 18-10, to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener.

For the second game in a row, the defense showed up. In Week 1, the unit did not give up a single touchdown. All of the Steelers’ points came from field goals. In Week 2, the Falcons allowed two touchdowns but forced Philadelphia to settle two drives with field goals.

Hurts and Smith connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Hurts then had one of his notorious 1-yard touchdown shoves up the middle in the fourth quarter. Running back Saquon Barkley converted on a two-point run after the score.

“Some of that tush-push stuff that they do is tough,” Bates said. “Honestly, it’s tough. You see we tried to jump offsides and just try to give them the first down, but they declined it. Great coaching there. But yeah, it’s tough to deal with that. But you got to be able to have a short mind, reset and play another set of downs.”

The Eagles totaled 365 net offensive yards, split 186 rushing and 179 passing.

Hurts completed 23 of his 30 passes. Smith was Philadelphia’s leading receiver with seven catches for 76 yards. Barkley led the ground attack with 22 carries for 95 yards.

“Everybody had to be super disciplined, man,” Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “I think we did a good job. Can always be better, right? But at the end of the day, we did just enough to get the win.”

The outcome was truly decided in the closing 15 minutes. The Eagles added 11 unanswered points and held a 21-15 lead with 1:39 remaining. The Falcons successfully ran their two-minute offense, taking the lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass between quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Drake London.

What happened next has already been explained, the Falcons defense came through.

“First of all, the crowd was amazing,” Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said. “I love to play in these kinds of environments. But then, when Jessie had that pick, I went to their fans and was shushing them. It was the best feeling ever, knowing that they were bringing the energy all game, but when it’s all said and done, we got the win and it was silent.”

Attendance was recorded at 69,879 people.

Monday marked the Falcons’ first prime-time game since 2022, whereas the Eagles already had one this year and six last season alone. Philadelphia is used to the spotlight more so. Its fans included.

“Driving in this place, you’re getting flicked off,” Bates said. “Little kids flicking you off. It’s a crazy atmosphere. This is a playoff atmosphere. For us to look back at this, maybe when we are in the playoffs, it shows each other we can do it. We can stick together, have a lot of grit, a lot of mental toughness and come out with a win.”

It was Bates who guaranteed the result, too.

After his interception, Bates recalled the less-than-warm welcome. His farewell was more appropriate, but got a similar point across nonetheless.

“I hit the Dirty Bird,” Bates said. “That’s my flicking them back off.”