NFL Game Of The Week #2: Eagles at Falcons

(Philadelphia): WR DeSean Jackson; WR Jeremy Maclin - These two guys are probably the two fastest starting wideouts on the same team. They make big play after big play in the Eagles passing game. Falcons starting corners Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes will have their hands full all evening keeping up with with these two. Jackson also could hurt Atlanta in the punt return game where he ranks as one of the best at taking it the distance any time he touches the ball.

Atlanta Falcons Offense vs. Philadelphia Eagles Defense: QB Matt Ryan needs to connect on some medium to deep passing plays early to offset the pressure the Eagles will bring. Last week against the Chicago Bears he got sacked 5 times and hit numerous other times. The offensive line needs to give him more time in the pocket and allow his receivers mainly Roddy White and Julio Jones to get open downfield. Atlanta being who they are (power running team) will more than likely try to establish the run with Michael Turner to sustain long drives and keep QB Michael Vick and the talented Eagles offense on the sidelines. But the last 3 times these teams have met the Eagles have held them to 77, 61, and 65 yards rushing. Philadelphia has 3 pro bowl caliber corners Asante Samuel, Nmandi Asomugha, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who will play aggressive man to man and force Matt Ryan to make some tight small window throws. Atlanta should attack the Eagles linebackers with TE Tony Gonzales where they have some inexperience as a group.

Atlanta Falcons Defense vs. Philadelphia Eagles Offense: Falcons DT Jonathan Babineaux will be out for 4-5 weeks with a knee injury. That is a big loss because he is a three down defensive tackle, meaning he can play against the run well and also provides pressure up the middle on passing downs. Corey Peters and Peria Jerry will have to fill the void. The Falcons defensive front needs to be discipline and stay in their lanes. The Falcons need to get hits, knock downs, and sacks on Vick from their D-Line especially from DE's John Abraham and Ray Edwards. This will help the Falcons secondary and allow them time to keep up with the Eagles wideouts on deeper routes where they excel at getting behind defenses with their speed. QB Michael Vick is hard enough to defend as is and the slightest breakdown will result in a big run by him. Vick and co. had 7 plays of 20 yards or more last week against the St. Louis Rams. The Eagles will get the ball into the hands of their playmakers RB LeSean McCoy, WR DeSean Jackson, and WR Jeremy Maclin which is the fastest collection of players on one team in the NFL. The Eagles have long been one of the best teams at running screen plays, look for them to have a few called against the Falcons who like to get after the QB on obvious passing downs. LeSean(Shady)McCoy could have a huge evening in the passing game underneath along with TE Brent Celek in red zone situations.

Rush Off. 11th -- 110.0ypg 1st -- 236.0ypg
Rush Def. 16th -- 88.0ypg 25th -- 154.0ypg
Pass Off. 12th -- 276.0ypg 25th --167.0ypg
Pass Def. 22nd --289.0ypg 10th -- 181.0ypg

Total Offense: 11th 7th
Total Defense: 19th 16th

QB Matt Ryan (versus) Philadelphia's defensive backs: Last week in the season opener versus the Chicago Bears Ryan was pressured all day by the Chicago defense. Ryan did manage to throw for over 300 yards and complete 66% of his passes but it took him 47 attempts to do so, not what the Falcons offense is based on. The Falcons have plenty of weapons for Ryan to get the ball to with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Harry Douglas, and Tony Gonzales but the playcalling is very conservative and relies heavy on the run. If the Falcons get behind early by a lot Ryan will have to go downfield more. That will be no easy task with the pressure the Eagles will send and the three pro bowl caliber corners the Eagles have in Nmandi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Ryan needs to connect on some big passing plays early to slow down the Eagles pressure.

Final Word: QB Michael Vick is returning back to Atlanta for the first time as starter for the Philadelphia Eagles since the dog fighting incident. Should be an emotional evening by Vick and some of the Vick fans left in Atlanta as well. These two teams made the playoffs last year and both will be favorites this year to win their respective divisions and repeat as playoff contenders. This game could be a preview of the NFC Championship Game this season with both teams having the talent on both sides of the ball to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles should push the tempo of the game, strike early, force the Falcons into turnovers, and then build a big lead the same way the Green Bay Packers did to Atlanta last year in the playoffs. Instead of upgrading the secondary Atlanta invested a lot in first round pick WR Julio Jones this off season. They need to scrap this conservative approach and utilize Jones and Roddy White on deeper routes and let Matt Ryan spread the ball around. He has underneath targets in TE Tony Gonzales and RB Jason Snelling. Why draft Julio and not utilize his full potential in this offense? The NFL is a pass first league now and teams who can spread you out with a good QB and wideouts are the teams who have been the most effective the last few years. Atlanta has all of the tools to do just that. They will need to put more points on the scoreboard to combat the Eagles quick strike capabilities.