PREVIEW – Week 2: Three Keys to the Eagles Beating the Atlanta Falcons
Looking ahead to this Sunday, the Eagles travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in primetime on Sunday Night Football.
This is going to be the first time the Eagles play in Atlanta’s brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:20 P.M. on NBC, with Al Michaels and the dreaded Chris Collingsworth calling the game. The Eagles come into this game as favorites with the betting line set to -2.5.
The Falcons are coming off of 12-28 loss to the Vikings in week 1, where the offense was held to 0 points through 3 quarters. Ironically, the focal point of this team is their offense. Former MVP Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback in this league whose options are endless. He has one of the best receiver trios to throw to in Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohammed Sanu, as well as Austin Hooper at tight end, who is widely slept on. Then in the backfield is Devonta Freeman, once a two-time pro bowler, but has not played at a high level since 2016 and is coming off of a groin injury that held him out of all of 2018. In week 1, Freeman was held to just 8 carries for 19 yards and 28 yards in total. Ito Smith, however, Freeman’s replacement in 2018, hasn’t been a bad option to go to. On the offensive line, the Falcons have pro bowlers Alex Mack and Jake Matthews but lost 1st round pick Chris Lindstrom (Right Guard) for 8 weeks due to a broken foot.
Defensively though, Atlanta lacks a lot of firepowers. The defensive line, who doesn’t have any real pass rushers outside of Vic Beasley Jr., came up with 37 sacks in 2018, which ranked 22nd in the league. Then, the secondary, which features Desmond Trufant and Keanu Neal, isn’t terrible, but it’s not terrific. Their 259.6 passing yards given up per game in 2018 ranked the 6th worst in the league. Needless to say, the Eagles secondary was still worse than that.
As for the Eagles, we saw how amazing this team can be, but we also saw how ugly this team can be. The run game will be the key to unlocking the offense, not just this game, but the entire season. When Pederson started calling the downfield runs in the second half, Wentz found recievers at will and left the Redskins defense gassed. Fortunately, the backfield is loaded and will be able to run it down opponents’ throats will the help of a terrific offensive line. There will be a problem, however, if Sproles becomes the lead back like he did against the Redskins. Regardless of age, he has never been an every-down back, unlike Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders.
Looking at the defense, the secondary still makes the same mistakes as it did before. Poor tackling and coverage was the reason the Redskins were able to jump so far ahead. Now the Eagles have to go up against Julio Jones, who is light years beyond any receiver on the Redskins. The defensive line takes a major hit with Malik Jackson’s injury that will cause him to miss significant time, but it’s still loaded.
Keys to Victory
Double Up Julio
Julio Jones is a tough assignment for any secondary, not just the Eagles. So what’s the solution? Double team. The Eagles have a better chance of covering Ridley or Sanu, which means Jones will need to be double-teamed all night long. Jones has had 546 yards and 2 touchdowns in his last 4 games against the Eagles, so don’t expect him to not go big again.
Run the Ball, Control the Clock
Their offense is their strength, their defense is their weakness. This should be a no brainer. Not only does the running game open up the passing game, it keeps Matt Ryan and company on the sideline. The Falcons gave up 172 yards on the ground to the Vikings last week, so there should be no excuse for the Eagles not to do the same.
Hit the Deep Ball
Carson Wentz had no problem finding Desean Jackson for a pair of 50+ yard touchdowns last week. The secondary in Atlanta is arguably worse than Washington’s, so hopefully, Doug calls some big plays early. This will get their defense out of rhythm and provide the Eagles offense with momentum.
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