Falcons vs. Eagles: Preview and Prediction

Falcons vs. Eagles

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

When: Sunday, 8:20 P.M. Eastern Time

Television: NBC

Line: Eagles -1.5

The Falcons come back to Atlanta for their season-opener looking to prove they aren’t the team that showed up in week one. Above all, turnovers and untimely mistakes made it impossible for Atlanta to overcome a Minnesota team that seemed to have it clicking on all cylinders. The task will not get any easier, however. They face off with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, who came back and beat the Washington Redskins in their home-opener last week.

Neither side will say they played their best game, but the most substantial leaps you will see in the NFL are from week one to week two. Dan Quinn hopes that is the case, or his job could be on the line before the season ends. He needs his men to come out with a lot more fire than they did in Minnesota, and if a primetime matchup with the last team to knock you out of the playoffs doesn’t do it, I’m not sure what will. Arthur Blank spent a boatload of money this offseason, and he didn’t do that for the Falcons to watch the postseason from the couch. Expectations remain high in Atlanta, despite the loss, but another disappointing performance could change the tone around Flowery Branch way earlier than anyone could have guessed.

Keys to the Game

THE EAGLES DEFENSIVE LINE VS. THE FALCONS OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line is going to be a popular pick when talking about the keys to the game all year for the Falcons, but especially when playing the Eagles who are loaded on the other side. Fletcher Cox causes problems for everyone, but he’s been an absolute nuisance in his last two matchups against the Falcons. Luckily, Malik Jackson will not be on the field. It shouldn’t matter that much; the Eagles still have plenty of firepower that will create issues for the Atlanta offense. Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Tim Jernigan, Josh Sweat, and Vinny Curry will all have a chance to take advantage of an offensive line that looked hopeless against Minnesota and is already down one of their best starters.

Chris Lindstrom fractured his foot and was placed on IR. Jamon Brown will start in his place at right guard. That’s a massive loss for the Falcons, but the worst player on the offensive line last week was actually Pro-Bowler Jake Matthews. Matthews has to be better, or Atlanta is not going to have much of a chance. Look for Kaleb McGary to receive most of the reps at right tackle, as he continues to improve his conditioning. He looked pretty good in about 45 snaps.

JULIO JONES VS. THE PHILADELPHIA SECONDARY

Jones didn’t have much of an impact in last week’s game until it was way out of reach. This could be a quality bounce-back opportunity for him if the offensive line can give Matt Ryan time to throw. In their playoff matchup two years ago, Jones caught nine balls for 101 yards. He upped that to 10 catches for 169 yards in the season-opener last season, and that could have been a lot more had the refs made the correct call on a diving catch that was clearly secured in bounds. There is nobody in Philadelphia’s secondary that can match up with Jones. Give Ryan time, and the Falcons star wide receiver will have a field day.

TAKK MCKINLEY AND VIC BEASLEY VS. THE EAGLES RUNNING ATTACK

Aside from one season, Vic Beasley has been nothing but a disappointment for the Falcons, which is why many people were shocked when they offered him his fifth-year option worth nearly $13 million. He’s been abysmal at applying pressure but is even worse against the run, and that was glaringly obvious against the Vikings. Takk McKinley, who many thought would be in for a breakout third season, wasn’t much better. Both were terrible at setting the edge, and the Vikings feasted on the outside play-after-play.

The Eagles don’t have a Dalvin Cook, but Doug Pederson stresses balance, and they attack defenses with a trio of backs. Darren Sproles, Miles Sanders, and Jordan Howard each had over five carries in Week 1 and totaled 116 yards. Great teams go on the road and try to establish their running game early. That is what the Eagles will attempt to do so they can take the crowd out of the game. It is imperative Takk McKinley and Vic Beasley do their job against the run.

Prediction

Vegas thinks the Falcons have more than a puncher’s chance in this one. The overreactions to week one are common. The Falcons have lost twice in their season-openers since Dan Quinn arrived and came back to win their second game both times – one of those years being 2016 when they embarrassingly lost to the Bucs and went on to the Super Bowl. I expect the Falcons to come out with a lot more fire in week two, but I can no longer put my reputation or my money on Atlanta.

The Falcons have some monumental issues to figure out on the offensive line, on the edges defensively, and in their secondary. Those are all places I believe the Eagles can exploit. Even without Malik Jackson, Philadelphia should have no problem pressuring Matt Ryan. The Vikings were able to do it on over a third of Ryan’s pass attempts, and the Falcons haven’t been able to establish a running attack since 2016. I don’t see why that would change in this matchup against the Eagles defense.

I can no longer stand and hope Vic and Takk are going to change on a whim. They haven’t given me any reason to believe, and this new 5-2 defense looks like a failed experiment that needs to be regulated quickly. Philadelphia has a much better offensive line than Minnesota, who dominated the edge in their week one matchup. The Eagles also have a trio of backs that will remain fresh and put constant pressure on the Falcons defense.

Atlanta’s secondary might have a slightly easier task than they did a week ago at the wide receiver position, but Carson Wentz is much better at slinging the ball around the field than Kirk Cousins. If the Falcons can’t stop the run, they are going to be in a world of trouble against a team that is as complete as any in the NFL to begin the season.

Eagles 31, Falcons 20