The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons are set to play each
other this Thursday evening at Lincoln Financial Field. In order to preview the
Eagles’ Week 1 game
Clayton Thorson Jersey Color Rush , I reached out to our associates over at The Falcoholic. The deferential Dave Choate (@WordsandBeer) kindly took the time
to answer my questions about the upcoming contest. Let’s take a look at the
answers. (Also don’t forget to check out my Q&A exchange over at TF.)1 -
What’s different about this Falcons team from the last time these two teams
played back in January? Is Atlanta better or worse than they were then? The
biggest difference, I hope, is in the offense. Steve Sarkisian has talked all
offseason about how he’s more comfortable with his playmakers and play calling
at the NFL level, which should translate to fewer boneheaded calls, especially
near the goal line. The addition of Brandon Fusco at right guard (a slight
upgrade) and Calvin Ridley at wide receiver (a potentially major upgrade over
Taylor Gabriel) should help this team to do more against tough defenses like
Philadelphia’s this season. On defense, the Falcons have downgraded at defensive
tackle (Terrell McClain/Jack Crawford instead of Dontari Poe), added a promising
young cornerback in Isaiah Oliver (who may not play Thursday night), and have
poured a surprising amount of resources into improving their special teams. The
net result of this, I hope, is a better Falcons team
Cheap Clayton Thorson Jersey , even if the improvements are more likely to be slight than drastic.2 - Do you think the Falcons losing the way they did to the
Eagles has them extra motivated to come back to Philly and win this time? How
about from a fan perspective? To what extent are fans bitter about that game? I
certainly hope it will provide some extra motivation. The Falcons have lost to
the eventual Super Bowl champion way too many times in the last decade, and as
deserving a champion as the Eagles were a year ago, it has to stick in their
craw that they were a handful of bad plays on offense and Keanu Neal’s failed
interception away from potentially winning. There’s no way they should be flat
for an opportunity at some revenge, no matter how small that revenge may be.For
fans, I think it’s the same. Nobody watched the Eagles win the Super Bowl and
thought “damn, we were better than them.” But we did know how close the game
was, and we know how talented this Atlanta roster can be. We’re hoping for a
better result this time.3 - What is the Falcons’ biggest strength? Where do they
have the biggest edge in this game?The biggest strength should still be the
passing game, and that should still be this team’s edge, even against a
formidable Eagles defense. Matt Ryan is one of the better quarterbacks in the
NFL, this offensive line is a top ten unit both talent and
production-wise
Youth Jason Peters Jerseys , and they have a borderline elite group of pass catchers with Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooper, and Devonta
Freeman and Tevin Coleman in the mix. If the Falcons falter throwing the ball
this year, it’s going to be a bad sign for their season outlook.It would be
ridiculous to say the Falcons should be able to pass all over the
Eagles--Philadelphia’s pass rush alone probably ensures that won’t happen--but
given the talent present it’s still their biggest strength and likeliest edge.4
- What is the Falcons’ biggest weakness? What concerns you the most about the
Eagles? Honestly, I’m concerned that the defense is going to struggle to stop
the run, and the pass rush is still something I’m going to need to see to
believe. The team added some beefy defensive tackles and has one of the most
physical secondaries in the league, but they’re still smallish up front and it’s
not immediately clear that they have the pieces to be an elite run defense this
year. The pass rush should be good--Takkarist McKinley, Vic Beasley and Grady
Jarrett are all nasty--but again
Jason Peters Jerseys Stitched , I need to see whether they have the pieces to be great.And even with Nick Foles back under center, that’s what concerns me about
the Eagles. There’s no question that Philadelphia has a strong offense, and
especially in the first week as this defense finds its footing, I worry they’ll
have lapses.5 - Who wins this game and why? Score prediction? And what are your
expectations for this Falcons season?I do think the Falcons can win this one,
and at the risk of being fairly scorned I’m going to predict they’ll do it, by a
score of 24-21. Neither result would surprise me, but with the Eagles being a
bit banged up and the Falcons looking very healthy outside of (of all things)
long snapper, I’m feeling bullish about their chances. I think Atlanta will be
able to do more on offense this time around, and while I’m expecting
Philadelphia to have a great deal of success running the ball in particular, I
think the Falcons can edge it out. I think this Philadelphia game will help me
figure out what’s ahead
Youth Fletcher Cox Jerseys , but this team has the talent to make a deep run and a third place schedule, so I’m expecting a season around 11-5 and a playoff berth.
Whether they can turn that into a Super Bowl run like 2016 depends on health,
the strength of the NFC’s many elite teams, and Atlanta’s improvement. Two
former Philly linebackers are joining Jacksonville."WhiteFanposts Fanshots
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PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ?Today’s Jaguars news
could have an impact on the EaglesNew,112commentsTwo former Philly linebackers
are joining Jacksonville.EDTShareTweetShareShareToday’s Jaguars news could have
an impact on the EaglesBill Streicher-USA TODAY SportsThe Jacksonville Jaguars
officially signed two former Philadelphia Eagles linebackers on Wednesday: Najee
Goode and D.J. Alexander.Goode last played for the Eagles in 2017. After winning
a Super Bowl with Philly, he signed a one-year deal with the Colts in 2018. Now
he’s staying in the AFC South by going to Jacksonville. Alexander is the bigger
name of interest here for the Eagles, though, because of his potential impact on
Philadelphia’s compensatory pick formula. If Alexander signed a qualifying
contract with the Jags, who don’t need to worry about comp picks because they’ve
already signed more players than they’ve lost, that would be great news for the
Eagles. It’d mean that Philly can receive that 2020 fourth-round compensatory
they’re projected to receive for losing Jordan Hicks. That Hicks pick is
currently being cancelled out by the Eagles’ signing of either Andrew Sendejo or
L.J. Fort.It’s entirely possible Alexander didn’t receive a qualifying deal.
He’s signing a contract nearly two months after free agency began and he’s
always been more of a special teams contributor than a guy who regularly plays
on defense.And even if Alexander DID sign a qualifying deal
Fletcher Cox Jerseys Stitched , there’s no guarantee he even makes the Jaguars’ roster (and lasts on it for at least ten weeks). In addition to signing
Alexander and Goode, Jacksonville also inked Ramik Wilson and claimed James
Onwualu off waivers on Wednesday. Wilson and Onwualu are both
linebackers.Hopefully we’ll get some clarity on Alexander’s contract details in
the near future.Another angle to this news is that the Jaguars could be filling
out linebacker depth in anticipation of trading Telvin Smith. Smith is skipping
Jacksonville’s offseason workouts — to the public ire of Tom Coughlin — and his
future with the team seems to be in question.Smith has base salaries of $9.75
million, $10 million, and $10.25 million over the next three years. That very
well might be more than the Eagles are comfortable paying to a linebacker in
addition to Nigel Bradham. Then again, the Eagles could afford to upgrade that
position and they have about $26 million in cap space to work with right
now.
