Atlanta, GA
Eagles Collapsse Late, Lose to Atlanta Falcons, 22-21, in Home Opener
PHILADELPHIA – PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles looked like they were about to move to 2-0, but a dropped pass by Saquon Barkley that likely would have given the Eagles a first down and allowed them to run out the clock was deadly.
They had to settle for a field goal and the Atlanta Falcons motored 70 yards in six plays and without any timeouts in just 1:05, getting a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Drake London with 34 seconds to play. The TD stood up as the final points as the Falcons stunned the Eagles, 22-21 in their home opener on Monday night.
“I dropped the ball, “said Barkley. “I let my team down. We shouldn’t have put the defense in that position. I make that catch, the game’s over.”
London beat veteran Darius Slay for the winning score.
“Very disappointed, especially at myself at the end of the game,” said Slay. “(Shoot). I hurt with that one. That was for sure my fault. My eyes were in the backfield, and I was trying to do more than I should have been doing.
“They did a lot of things out of their tendencies with that route. I saw two people go in, and usually the tendency is everybody flowing that way, so I jumped inside too fast and had my eyes in the backfield. That was bad. Then he broke out, so it was, yeah, I (messed) that up bad. That play for sure right there is on me.”
The Eagles’ last-ditch comeback try after the Falcons (1-1) forged ahead ended with Jalen Hurts throwing an interception deep to Jessie Bates.
This loss will sting. It leaves the Eagles at 1-1 and in a three-way tie for first in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. Philly must travel to New Orleans to play the high-flying Saints on a short week next Sunday. The Eagles aren’t at home again until Oct. 11 against the Cleveland Browns.
The Eagles got a big play from safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson when he stood up Bijan Robinson on fourth-and-one at Philly’s 39. The play helped the Eagles run the clock down 1:39 as Jake Elliott kick a 28-yard field goal for a 21-15 lead.
“It’s do or die,” said Gardner-Johnson. “It’s him versus me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the ultimate (play) to win the game. Like I said, there are other things in this game that we gotta look at, and we gotta fix as a team from the offensive side, the defensive side and special teams side.
“We can’t dial in on one thing. Everyone wants to look at one play, and this and that. We’re a team, and things happen. We gotta focus up. I got my brothers’ back just like they got my back.”
The Eagles tried to ice the game when they reached the 10, but on a third-and-three throw to a wide-open Barkley in the flat, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week flat-out dropped the ball. It looked like he would have had a first down if not a touchdown.
The game would have ended either way.
Instead, the Falcons took advantage of their new life and stole a win.
The Eagles were behind 15-10 when they embarked on the drive of the season so far, moving 70 yards in 17 plays and consuming 9:34 of clock.
They had converted only one third down all night in six tries, but on this march, they went 3-for-4 and 1-for-1 on a successful tush push. Jalen Hurts finished it with the second successful tush push of the drive after a 5-yard TD pass to Saquon Barkley was overturned when it was ruled Barkley knee was down a half-yard short. The touchdown gave the Eagles an 18-15 lead with 6:47 to play.
Hurts finished with 85 yards rushing, his highest ground total since putting up 82 in a 20-17 loss to the Seahawks on Dec. 18 last year. Playing without his top weapon, A.J. Brown, he was 23-for-30 with 183 yards and a 7-yard TD to DeVonta Smith. His late-game interception was his third of the season and his passer rating was 88.6.
Barkley had 22 carries for 85 yards with four receptions for 21 yards.
It was the second week the Eagles lost the turnover battle. They turned it over once and didn’t get one from the Falcons.
Cousins was 20-for-29 with 241 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 117.2. Running back Bijan Robinson had 14 carries for 97 yards and Atlanta gashed Philly’s run defense for 152 yards.
More NFL: Nick Foles Retires With Eagles, Sheds More Light On Super Bowl’s ‘Philly Philly’
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks prediction, pick for Game 1 of 2026 NBA Playoffs first round
Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Saturday’s Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup in the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA playoffs are officially underway with a loaded opening round. Taking place in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will take on the New York Knicks.
You can check out the full series preview on DraftKings Network here.
Looking at the odds for the series opener, the Knicks enter as 6.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hawks are +205 underdogs with the game total set at O/U 218.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Eastern Conference series opener.
Hawks vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Atlanta Hawks went through a midseason transition, moving on from Trae Young after he headlined the production for the franchise for the past eight years. The Hawks have not missed a beat amid the major midseason shakeup, finishing as the sixth seed in the conference with a 46-36 overall record. On the season, Atlanta has gone 44-38 against the spread, and the game total has gone 41-41 to the over/under.
Jock Landale is the only player set to miss the matchup tonight. Jalen Johnson headlines the production, posting averages of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a breakout season in a new location, adding 20.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. CJ McCollum adds 18.7 points and 4.1 assists across his first 41 games with the organization, while Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Jonathan Kuminga, and Zaccharie Risacher also play notable roles.
Quin Snyder’s group scores 118.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Hawks also rank 14th in offensive rating, 13th in field goal percentage, and fifth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.0 points per game against Atlanta, which ranks 18th in the league. They also rank ninth in defensive rating, 18th in opponent field goal percentage, and 12th in opponent three-point percentage.
The New York Knicks entered the season with legitimate title aspirations. They have had some notable ups and downs, but now face this opportunity. New York finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and sit in third place in the East. The Knicks have gone 44-39 against the spread, and the game total has gone 38-45 to the over/under.
The Knicks enter this matchup with a clear injury report and a large sample size of the team playing together. Jalen Brunson headlines the production with 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns pitches in 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists of his own. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are responsible for the production at the wing positions, while Josh Hart sets the tone for this team from a hustle standpoint. New York also did an impressive job building out the bench unit this season, with players like Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek capable of serving as X-factors off the bench.
As a team, the Knicks are scoring 116.5 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. New York also ranks third in offense rating, 11th in field goal percentage, and fourth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 110.1 points per game against the Knicks, which ranks fifth in the league. They also rank seventh in defensive rating, fifth in opponent field goal percentage, and 20th in opponent three-point percentage.
Hawks vs. Knicks pick, best bet
These are two teams at different stages of their timeline, but neither will be afraid of this playoff spotlight. The Knicks pushed their chips in around this core and are hoping to be rewarded for it. They fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals last year and have made the postseason in four consecutive seasons. Atlanta missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years and turned a new page direction with Jalen Johnson now leading the charge. Without Trae Young, the Hawks now lean on more of a defensive-minded identity and have a roster loaded with athleticism.
During the regular season, these teams faced off three times. They split the first two matchups, which took place on December 27th and January 2nd. New York picked up a narrow 108-105 victory in the most recent game, which took place on April 6th. Both sides were aware that this was a potential postseason matchup, and this game had some major seeding implications. It was an evenly matched game in which neither team was able to extend a lead beyond 10 points, and the rebounding battle was separated by just one board. The biggest discrepancy came with the Knicks shooting 50% compared to the Hawks shooting 40%, and New York outscoring Atlanta 52-34 in the paint.
While there are higher expectations for this Knicks team in the postseason outlook, the Hawks stack up fairly well in this matchup. Jalen Brunson will be at the heart of the offensive attack for New York. But his biggest weakness is when he is guarded by high-level athletes with a size advantage over him. The Hawks have built out a roster loaded with this archetype of player, and there is not a clear matchup for Brunson to hunt in most lineup combinations.
Brunson has enough experience and savvy to will settle in over the course of the series. But expect some growing pains in the early parts of this matchup, and for this to be a huge hurdle for this Knicks team. I am backing the Hawks to cover the 5.5-point spread and would not be shocked if they steal the opening game. This is a series in which neither side should be expected to pull away by major margins throughout. Count on Atlanta to have defense success and have a clear gameplan for limiting the impact of Brunson. Expect this matchup to come down to the wire and take the points in the series opener.
Best Bet: Hawks +6.5 (-112)
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