The anticipation is off the charts. The Lincoln Financial Field opener. The understanding in the Eagles' locker room what it's going to be like on Monday night with a full house of on-the-edge-of-their-seats Eagles fans ready for some football.

Almost here.

On this Friday in the locker room at the NovaCare Complex, the music blaring from one corner as safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson sets the tone: We are up tempo. We are energy. We are ready.

As the 8:15 PM kickoff nears for Monday when the Atlanta Falcons come to town, here is A Trip Around the Locker Room to get a feel for what players are thinking with kickoff just a few nights away …

Nakobe Dean: Great feeling back on the field

He played 64 snaps in the Week 1 win, 96 percent of the Eagles' defensive plays, and for Nakobe Dean, well, let's say it was a remarkable feeling. After battling injuries last season, Dean worked long and hard and deep into the dark evenings at the NovaCare Complex in the offseason to get right, to make himself the player he knows he can be, and to become a factor for the Eagles at linebacker.

He's done that.

And he is ever so thankful.

"Oh my goodness, it was great to be back out there," Dean said, smiling. "Being out there, flying around, real football, the season here, that was my first game starting and playing the whole game and not having the rotation in ever," Dean said. "It felt great being back out there. Being in Brazil, all that energy in the stadium, you know, that's why I love this game. That's why I love playing football.

"This game on Monday night, there's going to be even more energy. I know that. Every player feels that energy, the highs and lows of the crowd. Our fans bring the juice and we, as a defense, we're going to bring it. When the fans are like that, it's like an extra shot of adrenaline."

Dean knows it was Week 1 and that the defense "played tough, but we made mistakes that we're going to fix. It was Week 1 stuff. It's always a big jump from Week 1 to Week 2. It will be cleaner and better the more we play together, the more we roll."

Atlanta has weapons – running back Bijan Robinson is a dual-threat force and the pass catchers are dangerous – and the Falcons will be much better than in their Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh. So will Dean.

He can't wait.

"Making corrections, that's what this week has been about," he said. "Cleaning things up. Being better technically. You have to take it step by step and not look ahead. But when Monday night comes, I'll be ready."

Quinyon Mitchell: Confident, not cocky

The rookie isn't much of a talker. He is cordial in interviews, gracious with his time, and professional with the way he answers questions. But he doesn't say a whole lot.

Until he is on the football field.

Mitchell started in his first NFL game and, by all accounts, played well with two passes defensed and five total tackles (he was also called for a pass interference penalty). He expected to be challenged by the Packers and that was the case and Mitchell held up well. He challenged receivers, had good technique with his tackling, and played fine in coverage.

And when he made a play he talked.

"I wouldn't say it's being cocky," he said. "I'm a confident person. I'm very confident in myself and in my teammates around me, and that's the way I play out on the field. Everything is play to play, now game to game. The first game is behind me and Monday is going to be the next one up.

"The receivers here have helped prepare me for this moment, so shout out to them."

Grant Calcaterra: Week 1 a good confidence builder

Second-and-10, ball in Green Bay territory, early fourth quarter. Quarterback Jalen Hurts drops back and finds tight end Grant Calcaterra for a completion and a gain of 11 yards. First down. And a big boost.

"Yeah, that felt good," Calcaterra said. "My number was called there and the ball came my way. They had a bust in coverage and I was wide open and made the play. I know with the weapons that we have on offense, the ball isn't naturally going to come my way a lot, so I have to make the most of those opportunities. It was a good first down."

There are going to be moments in the course of the season when the Eagles are going to need Calcaterra to be a bigger part of things – he played a healthy 36 snaps on offense last week – so having these moments add up to bigger things down the line.

"I have a job to do and when I'm out there, I want to be great at whatever my role is," Calcaterra said. "Building on what we did well as a group and individually, that's what it is all about. I think we can clean up a lot of things. Atlanta has a good defense – very active up front, good secondary. They get to the football. I know this is going to be a tough game."

Milton Williams: The goal is to dominate

The Eagles think their defensive tackle rotation has the chance to be special with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams leading the way, and Williams thinks that way, too.

With Atlanta's offense in town on Monday night, the Eagles have a challenge. Atlanta struggled in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh, but the weapons are there. The Eagles have noticed.

"Very good group, good offensive line, and we know they're going to show some things this week that we haven't seen," said Williams, the fourth-year defensive tackle. "We have to win the one-on-one battles we will have and shut down the run and then get after the quarterback. I feel like the whole defense understands that is the next step for us.

'Monday night, we have to make sure we are paying attention to what we've seen on film and then go out and execute and play the best football we can play, because we know how good we can be and how dominant we can be."

Williams, in this long week, has taken care of his body after playing 28 snaps on Friday night. He has had massages, doing some acupuncture, "taking care of my body the best I can."

Next step: Monday night against Atlanta.

"It's going to be crazy out there. We know that," he said. "We have to play our best football."