Eagles fans gear up for "Monday Night" madness
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Couple of Eagles legends! Photos: Wagner Meier/Getty Images; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Just call it the "Philly Special" — this "Monday Night Football" game is one for the city's history books.
Why it matters: With Jason Kelce's pregame primer and former QB legend Nick Foles' special retirement ceremony tonight, the Eagles' home opener against the Atlanta Falcons is electrifying the city.
- "It's going to be a lot of adrenaline built up all day," Birds superfan Shaun "Shoulder Pad Guy" Young tells Axios.
The big picture: Philadelphia rush hour will be full of fans dashing from work to once again gather outside Lincoln Financial Field hours before kickoff.
- Kelce, the newly minted ESPN analyst, will set the table on the "Battle of the Birds" during a live taping of "Monday Night Countdown" at Xfinity Live.
Meanwhile, the Birds are honoring Foles as he officially retires from the NFL as an Eagle.
- Foles led the franchise to its lone Super Bowl win over New England in 2018.
State of play: The Eagles and Falcons matchup is somewhat lopsided.
- Philly won its season opener against Green Bay in Brazil. But Atlanta dropped a disappointing 18-10 decision to the Steelers and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh's backup quarterback who stood in for an injured Russell Wilson.
Flashback: The Eagles have won four of the last five meetings, with the teams last playing each other September 2021 in Atlanta.
- Jalen Hurts tossed for 264 yards and three touchdowns in that game, leading the Birds to a 32-6 rout.
Zoom in: The Eagles have a cache of offensive weapons, including running back Saquon Barkley. He became only the second Eagle in franchise history to score three touchdowns in his team debut in Brazil.
- But star wide receiver A.J. Brown is out tonight because of a hamstring injury.
- The Eagles must also shore up their defensive play after the Packers gashed them for more than 400 yards last week.
What they're saying: Young, who has held season tickets for more than three decades, expects tonight's prime-time game to rival the Eagles' best moments.
- "We live and die for this," Young said. "Football's a different animal. It leaves you hungry every single week."
What we're watching: Can we get a throwback? Hurts joked with reporters that they're hoping the Eagles re-create the play that catapulted Foles into team lore.
- Fans are also holding out hope that Kelce makes a surprise appearance at one of the tailgates. (He chugged beers with Kansas City fans before his brother Travis' playoff game against Buffalo.)
If you go: Tickets: $117+, as of Sunday night.
- The game is on ESPN at 8:15pm.