Sports
MNF Week 2: Falcons-Eagles Preview, Props, Prediction
May 30, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off to running back Saquon Barkley (26) during practice at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Atlanta Falcons will be hoping for a dramatic turnaround from their Week 1 debacle with a visit to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Philadelphia has had Atlanta’s number in recent years, winning four of the last five against the Falcons.
But new Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has a winning record against the Eagles (6-5). Cousins has struggled on “Monday Night Football” with a record of 3-10. On the other hand, Jalen Hurts is 4-4 on MNF, including a 24-7 win over Cousins when he was with the Vikings (Week 2, 2022).
Odds and Trends
Philadelphia opened as just a 4.5-point home favorite despite their strong performance in Week 1 vs. the Packers. But it didn’t take long for the line to move. Bettors can still find the Eagles at -5.5, while Atlanta’s supporters can find the Eagles at +6.5.
The Eagles and Falcons last met in Week 1 of the 2021 season, a game Philadelphia won 32-6. But Hurts and Cousins last faced off in 2023 when Cousins was with the Vikings in Week 2 (Thursday Night Football). Cousins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns, but Hurts got the win 34-28.
Given how games unfolded Week 1, it comes as no surprise that the public is getting behind Philly. At BetMGM, 82 percent of the point spread tickets, and 88 percent of the money is on the Eagles.
But, according to an industry average, 47 percent of spread tickets are on Philadelphia and 53 percent on Atlanta. Moneyline bets heavily favor the Eagles, with 92 percent of the handle and 95 percent of tickets.
However, bettors are relatively split regarding the total: 56 percent of the money and 48 percent of tickets on the OVER (44 percent and 52 percent on the UNDER).
Recent history has favored the home team on MNF, 59-43, over the last five years. However, betting on the visiting team wasn’t a bad idea; they went 53-45-4 ATS. Favorites have gone 67-37 SU and 45-55-4 ATS since 2018.
Prop Picks
–Saquon Barkley, 2+ Touchdowns, +270 at FanDuel: He had three against the Packers in Week 1, two rushing and one receiving. It seemed like new OC Kellen Moore will make the most of his running back (while he’s healthy), especially near the goal line. There is no value in betting on his anytime odds, but it would not be shocking to see him get two vs. the Falcons.
–Jalen Hurts, O/U 39.5 Yards Rushing, -113/-113 at FanDuel: Running the ball is part of the reason Hurts is such a dangerous QB. But Kellen Moore seemed reluctant to call designed runs for Hurts in Week 1. On several of his 13 carries did not go for much since he looked for someone to throw to as long as he could.
With Barkley available to do the dirty work in the run game, expect less from Hurts. Take the UNDER.
Key Stats
Cousins is 12-20 in primetime games and 3-10 on MNF. However, while his win-loss record is not good, he has been. He ranks 12th in passer rating out of the 64 quarterbacks that have attempted 500+ passes in primetime games.
The News
Expectations were high for the Atlanta Falcons coming into the season. With skill position players like Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London, many viewed them as a team that needed competent quarterback play to succeed.
Enter Kirk Cousins.
While his teams have not seen much postseason success, his ability to get the ball moving on offense is undeniable, especially in the passing game. He played six seasons with the Vikings, starting 15+ in his first five. In those five, he threw for 4,000+ yards in four.
His best season may have been his first. He made history by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 70 percent of his passes for 30 touchdowns and 4,000+ yards with ten interceptions (or fewer).
Fans in Atlanta probably hoped that would be the guy they’d see in Week 1. The offense sputtered as Cousins completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice and threw two interceptions as the Falcons lost to the Steelers 18-10.
While it is no consolation, there were several mitigating factors. Week 1 was his first game back after missing the second half of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles. It was his first game on a new team, in a new offense with a new offensive coordinator, a new center, and new skill position players.
Thanks to his recovery, he did not have enough time to develop the level of familiarity necessary to play well on Sunday. But there is a bright side for Falcons fans — Cousins and the offense can only get better.
Can they improve enough to be competitive with the Eagles tonight?
Injury Report
Both teams have ruled out players for Monday night’s tilt. Hurts will be without his No. 1 wide receiver, A.J Brown (hamstring). Atlanta will not have cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (groin) and linebacker Nate Landman (calf, quadriceps). Eagles receiver Johnny Wilson is listed as questionable.
Prediction
If Cousins and the Atlanta offense were clicking on all cylinders, this could be a competitive game. However, growing pains are expected, which should keep expectations low for the Falcons’ offense.
Without the offense giving them a break, the defense will get worn out after getting a heavy dose of Saquon Barkley. Hurts will miss Brown, but the Eagles have plenty of talented weapons at his disposal.
Prediction: Eagles 28, Falcons 13
–Field Level Media
Sports
Aroldis Chapman sets reliever strikeout record as Red Sox down Angels
Jul 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Reid Detmers (48) throws against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Romy Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs and Aroldis Chapman broke the record for most strikeouts by a reliever en route to his 17th save as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
Caleb Durbin hit a home run and scored twice, Jarren Duran had two RBIs, Ceddanne Rafaela collected two hits and a stolen base and Willson Contreras doubled, singled and scored a run for Boston, which ended a two-game skid. However, the Red Sox won for the sixth time in eight games.
Red Sox starter Jake Bennett (3-3), who began the game throwing 4 1/3 perfect innings, allowed two runs on five hits over 7 2/3 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.
Chapman opened the bottom of the ninth by striking out Denzer Guzman with a 99 mph sinker for his 1,364th career strikeout, breaking the all-time reliever record previously held by Hoyt Wilhelm. Chapman then permitted two singles before inducing a game-ending double-play grounder from Jo Adell.
Jose Siri homered and Zach Neto had two hits and an RBI for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight game. Reid Detmers (3-6), coming off a June that saw him allow just eight runs over 31 2/3 innings over five starts, permitted five runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked three and fanned five.
Boston took a 1-0 lead in the second when Gonzalez hit a sinking line drive for a triple under the glove of a diving Siri in center field, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Duran.
The Red Sox extended the lead to 4-0 in the third on a bases-loaded two-run single by Gonzalez followed by a safety squeeze bunt by Duran.
Durbin led off the fifth with his eighth home run, a 358-foot line drive inside the left field foul pole, to make it 5-0.
Los Angeles got back into the game with two runs in the eighth. Siri hit his fifth homer to right-center to cut the lead to 5-1. Josh Lowe followed with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by Neto.
The contest was the opener of a three-game series.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Without A'ja Wilson, Aces survive Sky in OT
Jul 3, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) drives to the basket against Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso (10) in the second quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Aces may have been without perennial MVP A’ja Wilson, but the defending WNBA champions still survived at home despite a turbulent effort in a 98-90 overtime victory against the Chicago Sky on Friday.
Forward NaLyssa Smith picked up where her frontcourt partner Wilson was unable to, tallying a career-high 29 points for the Aces (15-5) on an efficient 11-of-14 shooting while also collecting eight rebounds. Jewell Loyd added 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Chelsea Gray chipped in 18 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Skylar Diggins paced the Sky (6-14) with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, making two of her four attempts from 3-point range. Natasha Cloud was the driving force behind Chicago’s fourth-quarter rally, adding 15 points and five assists in the loss. Kamila Cardoso also delivered an encore to her 24-point game against the Aces on Sunday, chipping in 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Trailing 86-84, Gray buried a mid-range pull-up jumper with 22.6 seconds remaining to knot the game at 86 and eventually send the game to overtime after an empty Sky possession ended regulation. Diggins gave the Sky an 88-86 lead to open the scoring in overtime, but the Aces answered with a 6-0 run to stretch their lead to 92-88 with 1:14 left in the extra period and didn’t look back.
After Gray put the Aces ahead by a game-high 14 points with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter, the Sky went on a 26-13 run to cut the lead down to 64-63 with 1:53 remaining in the frame. Loyd promptly answered with a rally of her own for Las Vegas, scoring seven of the Aces’ next nine points to push their lead back to 73-64 early in the fourth quarter.
Despite the fact that the Sky trailed by double digits in each of the first three quarters, they still managed to take their first lead of the game, 82-81, on a Cloud 3-pointer with 3:47 remaining and extended that lead to 84-81 on their next possession on a Diggins lay-in.
The Aces overcame a troublesome 4-of-22 clip from 3-point range (18.2%), while Chicago made 7 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc (35%). Despite that, Las Vegas still shot a superior 35-of-69 (50.7%) from the field overall, while Chicago made 28 of 65 field-goal attempts (43.1%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Teoscar Hernandez belts grand slam as Dodgers rally past Padres
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) scores a run past Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images Teoscar Hernandez hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 4-3 victory Friday while sending the visiting San Diego Padres to a season-high seventh consecutive loss.
Shohei Ohtani struck out nine over six innings, while allowing three runs on seven hits, and Kyle Hurt (3-1) picked up the win with a scoreless inning as the Dodgers won for the ninth time in their past 11 games.
Tanner Scott pitched the ninth inning for his 12th save while Los Angeles improved to 6-2 against San Diego this season.
Jackson Merrill hit a home run for the Padres and Michael King dominated over six innings before he was chased from the game in the seventh. King gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits over six innings.
San Diego’s losing streak is its longest since a seven-game slide late in the 2021 season.
The Padres were in control early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Ohtani on a Gavin Sheets single. Merrill made it 2-0 in the fourth with a home run to center field, his 10th of the season and second in the series.
A Xander Bogaerts RBI double put San Diego up 3-0 in the sixth.
King was cruising after retiring the first 11 batters he faced while not allowing a baserunner until Freddie Freeman singled in with two outs in the fourth inning. He gave up two hits through six scoreless innings.
The Dodgers’ seventh-inning rally started with a Mookie Betts walk, while Max Muncy followed with a single to right field to end King’s night. Kyle Tucker appeared to hit a double-play grounder against Adrian Morejon, but second baseman Jake Cronenworth misplayed the ball for an error that loaded the bases.
Hernandez’s grand slam came on the first pitch from Morejon (6-2) and was his eighth home run of the season and first since returning Monday from a month away because of a hamstring injury.
–Field Level Media
Aroldis Chapman sets reliever strikeout record as Red Sox down Angels
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