Game Preview – PHI at ATL

The 2021 season will open with the Battle of the Birds. The Falcons made it to the Super Bowl in 2016 and the Eagles won it in 2017. The NFL truly is Not For Long, as both teams won just four games last year. Both teams have new coaches and added star players in the draft, but neither team is expected to do all that much in the upcoming season.

At least one of them will get to 1-0 on Sunday (I can’t even bear the idea of a tie in Week 1).

I feel optimistic about the Eagles in this game. So does Jimmy Bama. Others, not so much.

Glad not to have to do it. But if I did, I’d say there are so many unknowns with new coaches on both sidelines. I’d predict Falcons 26-24 because they’re at home, but if the Eagles can protect Hurts and get pressure up the middle on Ryan, I’d be prepared to be wrong. https://t.co/gtVfnllLY0

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) September 11, 2021

Here is what Vic Tafur of The Athletic said:

Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5) — Week 1 is tough because there are a lot of unknowns — especially on these two teams. So, go with what you know — the better quarterback is playing at home. FALCONS

That is simplistic thinking, but might actually be the smartest way to look at a game like this. New coaches. New schemes. New players all over the place. Focus on the knowns and not the unknowns.

We do know more about the Eagles from what we saw and heard this summer. The team played very well in joint practices with the Patriots and Jets. Those reviews came from media in Philly and the opposing teams. This wasn’t just summer hyperbole.

We know the Eagles are healthy right now. The only starter they’ll be missing is FS Rodney McLeod.

We know the Eagles have an outstanding O-line and D-line. You win games by winning the LOS so this is a huge reason for optimism for Eagles fans.

Jalen Hurts is probably the biggest X-factor. We just don’t know what to expect of him. He was highly inconsistent last year. He did play well in his one preseason game, but that was a limited showing. He looked good in the joint practices, but there wasn’t any gameplanning and defenses couldn’t tackle to the ground.

My guess is that Hurts will play well in the opener. The Falcons don’t have a dynamic pass rush. The Eagles OL should handle them up front, giving Hurts time to get the ball to his revamped WR corps. The Falcons don’t exactly have a shutdown secondary so that will help Hurts as well.

I’m guessing we see lots of short quick throws, hoping to get Hurts into a good rhythm and so his receivers can add yards after the catch. That was a missing element under Doug Pederson, but Nick Sirianni is a big believer in RAC yards.

Will DeVonta Smith prove to the the real deal? Yes. We saw hints of his potential in the preseason. I’m expecting big things from him. He will be the key receiver for the Eagles this year. No one cares about the rookie status. He is the best route-runner and has the best hands of the receivers. You feed that guy the ball.

I’m more curious about Quez Watkins. He went from role player to promising starter. Was that summer hype or legit? Watkins doesn’t have to be a volume receiver. His value would come as a playmaker. He had big time speed and good RAC ability.

I think the Eagles will score at least 23 points on Sunday. Sirianni is an offensive coach and he’s got some good pieces to work with. Doesn’t hurt that Atlanta’s defense was awful last year.

The Eagles defense has the potential to be good. Matt Ryan is a veteran QB and he will make his share of plays. I do think the Eagles pass rush will be the difference in this game. They’ll affect Ryan enough to make some mistakes and that will be the difference in the game.

I’m excited to see Alex Singleton and Josh Sweat in action. Both guys looked great this summer and could be poised for big years.

I’m curious about the Eagles secondary. Can they play well enough for the team to win this game and be a consistently good defense? There are some good pieces, but there will be a challenge as the Eagles play more zone. That can take time to adjust to. The defense could be up and down as the guys in the back seven adjust to the new scheme and each other.

It will be interesting to see how the Eagles try to defend rookie Kyle Pitts. He’s listed as a TE, but just think of him as an offensive weapon. He got the best of CBs at Florida last year. This is a rare dude. The Eagles will mix up coverages to try to contain the number four pick in last April’s NFL Draft. One of the keys maybe to get a physical jam on Pitts so he doesn’t have a free release.

2020 was miserable. The Eagles were bad. They were boring. They were dysfunctional.

I don’t know if this team will turn things around, but it sure seems like a more fun bunch. There is a good energy with this group. That can translate into on-field success, if they stay healthy.

Let’s get this thing going.

*****

Big news off the field today.

Roster Move: #Eagles sign T Jordan Mailata to a four-year contract extension through 2025.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/3acT5GEoN5

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 11, 2021

The 64 million dollar tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles… https://t.co/UYTj7pR0CF

— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) September 11, 2021

What a great story. Can’t wait to see a full season of Mailata mashing on defenders. Huge expectations for him this year.

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