The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a tough 26–24 loss in their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons and one of the main reasons for that is the struggle quarterback Sam Bradford had in his debut with the team. 

Bradford, who showed flashes of greatness in the preseason especially against the Green Bay Packers, was unable to deliver during their game against the Falcons. 

Atlanta's defense did not allow Bradford to have any kind of momentum as they applied constant pressure on him. 

The 27-year-old quarterback finished the game completing 36 of his 52 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown, also throwing two interceptions. 

"I just felt like we were playing behind the sticks all day. It was like we couldn't get anything going on first down. It was second and long, and then penalties would make it second and really long or third and really long," Bradford said, according to ESPN. 

The Eagles' offense struggled along with their quarterback as they finished the first half trailing 20–3, scoring only a field goal, despite Bradford finding his footing in the second quarter completing six of seven passes. 

In the third quarter, Bradford helped Philadelphia trim the lead and threw his only touchdown pass when he connected to wide receiver DeMarco Murray. 

The touchdown was the second for the Eagles in the third quarter; it narrowed the deficit to 20–17. 

But Bradford and the Eagles could not keep their consistency with the Falcons doing enough to seal the win. 

The victory was the first for the Falcons under new head coach Dan Quinn who is the former defensive coordinator of the 2013 Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks, who are known for their great defense. 

Bradford and the Eagles' schedule will not be any easier as their Week 2 opponents are the Dallas Cowboys who edged the New York Giants in their season opener despite losing star wide receiver Dez Bryant.