Tim Fletcher: Monday Night Football Recap

Monday Night Football's opening doubleheader provided a couple of surprises... Atlanta grabbed a 17-point halftime lead over Philadelphia in the Falcons lair thanks largely to Julio Jones two touchdown catches. In the second half, Sam Bradford and the Eagles rallied to take a 24-23 lead with 8:37 to play.  Matt Ryan guided the dirty birds inside the Eagles 30-yard line on the ensuing possession, setting up Matt Bryant's go-ahead 47-yard field goal that proved to be the game winning points in Atlanta's 26-24 win.  DeMarco Murray, obtained from Dallas in the offseason, was held to 9 yards on eight carries after leading the league in rushing last year with the Cowboys.

In the nightcap in San Francisco, pitting the 49ers against Minnesota, a running back dominated the game---but it wasn't Adrian Peterson.  San Francisco's Carlos Hyde ran through the Vikings for 168 yards and two touchdowns, easily outpacing Peterson, who was limited to 31 yards on 10 totes in his first game in more than a year after being suspended as penalty for child abuse charges against him.

-Tim Fletcher