This week’s B.S. Report talks about the Falcons victory Monday night

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) The Atlanta Falcons won Monday night, and some of the questions we all had about this team going into the season were met with some very positive answers.

Now, it’s early – like way early. But the Falcons needed a running game – CHECK. They needed more of a pass rush – CHECK. They needed to stop the run – CHECK. The Falcons did many of the things they had to do to win, which is a great early sign for a team looking to rebound from a 6-10 season.

Rookie Tevin Coleman played well at running back in his first game, with 80 yards. The Falcons were over 100 yards on the ground, which is something they failed to do in 11 games last season. Yeah, Matt Ryan is a great quarterback and receiver Julio Jones is the best player on the team, but you have to run the football. Let’s see… the Falcons rushed for over 100 yards five times last season. They won four of those five games. So Coleman must do well and the Falcons must run the football.

Ryan was up and down, with some throws that looked rusty, but he has Jones and that’s a tremendous asset. The new-look offensive line seemed to do okay. Yes, just okay. Ryan was sacked just once, and for the most part had time to throw. But good grief is Julio Jones a great player. He might even make a bad quarterback look good. I wonder if Greyson Lambert could complete a pass to Julio Jones?

Just kidding.

Atlanta’s defense was really good. They stopped the run, as Philadelphia’s DeMarco Murray did nothing. Quarteback Sam Bradford was under pressure a lot, particularly in the first half. And the secondary came up with big plays. William Moore picked off a pass and then Ricardo Allen clinched the game with a pick late in the fourth quarter. We saw energy from the defense. They were all over the place in that first half. They need to be more consistent, as the Eagles got on a roll in the third quarter. But to have someone make that big play at the end, as Allen did, was really impressive.

It is early. That’s only one game. But the Falcons squandered a 20-3 halftime lead and came back to win. I don’t think last year’s Falcons team could have done that. The energy that comes with a new head coach was in full working order Monday night, as the Falcons have taken over the attitude of new head coach Dan Quinn. This first month’s schedule is brutal for the Falcons, as they have road games with the Giants and Cowboys before coming back to face the Texans.

But what a way to start! This team needed that. They have a lot to prove this season, and while it’s early, the first impression was a good one.