“It was a wild one, for sure, but we hung in there,’’ Ryan said. “I think everybody hung in there and kept making plays, kept battling. Credit to guys on both sides of the ball — we never gave up.’’
Two of Ryan’s TD throws went to ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez, who went past Terrell Owens into the fifth spot on the NFL’s career receiving list. Then, Ryan hooked up with Ovie Mughelli on a 1-yard score that brought Atlanta to 31-28 with just under 11 minutes remaining.
The Falcons (1-1) completed the comeback with Michael Turner breaking off a 61-yard run, then powering over from the 3 with 4:48 remaining. Turner finished with 114 yards on 21 carries.
Vick threw for a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles (1-1) but left with what coach Andy Reid later described as a concussion after getting spun by a Falcons rusher into Eagles lineman Todd Herremans. No. 7 staggered to the sideline and Mike Kafka came in for the first game of his two-year career.
Vince Young, normally the backup, was inactive because of a hamstring injury. Now, the Eagles have to worry about Vick’s health, though he didn’t have to be hospitalized and was cleared to travel with the team back to Philadelphia.
“I know Mike is upset about (not finishing),’’ Kafka said. “When you’re hit like that, you can’t do anything about it. It’s out of his control.’’
Kafka did a good job in a tough situation, guiding the Eagles down the field on a potentially winning drive in the closing minutes. But on fourth down from Atlanta’s 22, Jeremy Maclin dropped a pass over the middle that would have kept it going.
“I’m better than that,’’ Maclin said. “It was a very catchable ball.’’
The Falcons ran off all but the last 5 seconds, and Kafka’s desperation heave into the end zone was batted down to end the game.
The buildup for the prime-time contest was one of the biggest in years for a regular-season game in Atlanta. The Georgia Dome was packed and loud, many fans wearing Vick’s old No. 7 jersey from his Falcons days but plenty more adorned in Ryan’s No. 2.
