Eagles vs. Falcons Preview: 3 Keys to Atlanta Win
The Atlanta Falcons take on the Philadelphia Eagles today at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with both teams surely looking at the matchup as being "winnable.''
Both teams are coming off of a disappointing 2020 season. The Falcons finished 4-12 and the Eagles finished 4-11-1. It’s the head coaching debut for both the Falcons’ Arthur Smith and the Eagles’ Nick Sirianni.
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While it’s too early to call any game a must-win for either team, both the Falcons and the Eagles feel this is a winnable game that could help lead to a turnaround from last year.
We take a look at three keys for the Falcons to beat the Eagles and get the coach Smith era off to a positive start:
Protect Rookie Left Guard Jalen Mayfield
It's too easy to say the Falcons need to protect Matt Ryan; that goes without saying.
So the key to protecting Ryan will lie with "protecting'' rookie left guard Jalen Mayfield. Mayfield was elevated to the starting spot when Josh Andrews broke his hand last week.
Andrews hadn't looked particularly assured at that spot, either, so it was a concern for the Falcons going into the season before starting a rookie at guard.
Left tackle Jake Matthews and center Matt Hennessy will be called on to help Mayfield. Smith runs a double-tight end set as a base offense. There will be plenty of bodies on the line of scrimmage to help Mayfield should Matthews and Hennessy cheat his direction.
Establish the Running Game
Everything Smith wants to do on offense starts with the running game. As the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans last year, Smith helped guide his team to the second-best rushing attack in the NFL.
New Falcons running back Mike Davis had roughly 1,000 yards from scrimmage last year with the Carolina Panthers.
Cordarrelle Patterson is a former wide receiver who will back up Davis, and he's looked like a natural in the backfield during the preseason.
Once the running game is established, the Eagles' defense will get a heavy dose of play-action passing from Ryan. The Falcons have plenty of weapons for Ryan to get the ball to including receiver Calvin Ridley and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts.
Matt Ryan was sacked 41 times in 2020. For him Ryan to get enough time to utilize his receivers, the running attack will have to be enough of a threat to slow the Eagles pass rush.
Contain Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts
Second-year Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts started the final four games of the 2020 season and led Philadelphia to a 1-3 record.
He’s not a player that’s going to scare the Falcons with his arm, but he rushed for 354 yards on 63 carries last year.
New defensive coordinator Dean Pees likes to blitz, but linebackers Deion Jones and Foye Oluokun are speedy defenders who will be tasked to make sure Hurts doesn’t extend drives with his legs.
The Falcons are a 3.5-point favorite against the Eagles today. If they can protect Mayfield, establish the running game, and limit Hurts rushing, they should start the Smith era with a win.
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