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The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons are expected to face for the fourth time since 2016 in this week's edition of Sunday Night Football. In order to preview this match of week 2, I contacted our familiar partners at The Falcon. Dave Choate, the intrepid@WordsandBeer) kindly took the time to answer my questions about the next game. Let's look at his answers. (Do not forget to check my Q & A exchange at TF.)
1 – The Eagles are 3-0 in their last three games against the Falcons since 2016. Why do you think the Eagles had the Falcons' number?
This is an excellent question. There may not be a single factor here – the Eagles have been frustrating the Falcons in the last three visits – but the main thread of these three visits is undoubtedly the Philadelphia defense. Atlanta is one of the best offensives in the league in terms of personnel and results over the last three seasons, but has only managed a paltry 37 points against the Eagles in the last three games.
As we saw last week with Atlanta's inert performance against the The Vikingsthe Falcons fight mightily against very good, very physical fronts. The Falcons are dependent on offensive sports and mobile linemen, who tend to have real weaknesses against strong and knowledgeable defensive linemen. Bottling a solid ground game tends to lead to more passes, and as these line players are bullied and Matt Ryan is under pressure, the pace and success of the game passes suffers. The situation worsened in the red zone, where the Eagles managed to control and force Ryan make difficult shots. In simple terms, the defense was very good and the Falcons made their own non-forced mistakes and made the situation worse.
I think the most important question for this game is whether the Eagles can replicate their defensive success in recent years. I do not expect the Falcons to be able to control Philly offensively as they have done in recent years. So the question is whether they can turn that into a shootout, which gives them at least a chance to fight. If the Eagles are less successful at slowing down this attack than they have been in the last few years, the Atlanta player will probably be dead.
2 – To what extent are the Falcons fans concerned about the 2019 team after this defeat against the Vikings? What went wrong in this game and are the problems solved?
These alarm tones sound definitively. You never want to let the first week of the season set the rest of your year – the Falcons lost a confusing match to buccaneers in week 1 in 2016, and before this season the pretty successful saints had lost like five consecutive times – but the Falcons looked absolutely pitiful against the Vikings.
This is largely due to the fact that the team was unexpectedly disproportionate in no time. This nightmare start with a turnaround was enough to get them into the race and allowed the Vikings to barely throw the ball the rest of the way, allowing the Dalvin Cook and Alex Mattison has just snatched huge tracks outward, where the Falcons have done very little to stop them. If the kickoff is not blocked – damn it, if the first game of the game is not a bag – things go differently.
That said, of course, I have some concerns, as do most Falcons fans. Atlanta has invested resources in improving its offensive line and Matt Ryan it's swayed all day long, with Devonta Freeman find very little room for maneuver on his occasions as well. The Falcons also invested heavily in their race defense, and the Vikings simply refused to run in their very expensive and highly effective defensive interior. They threw themselves out, where their defensive ends and linebackers were just as hard to slow things down. were a year ago. Add to that injury concerns – departure from the right guard Chris Lindstrom is already away for a good part of the year – and players who come back from an injury or enter more important roles in high school and uncertainties are not lacking for the Falcons.
The talent must win here, but there is a real chance that he will pass 0-2, which makes his margin of error minimal at the end of the course. I just have to wonder if they have improved enough to overcome a bad start.
3 – What is the greatest strength of Falcons? Where do they have the biggest advantage in this game?
It is the game of the passes by far. They were not great against the Vikings, but the defense of Minnesota is excellent, Xavier Rhodes is also good against Julio Jones like any man on earth, and Ryan made two unusually poor decisions on his interceptions. Even against a good secondary pass and a good pass, the Falcons have the power of fire–Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooperand in a lesser extent Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith – and the quarterback on which to build, and that's always what will drive them to success in 2019, if they succeed.
I'm wary of any general proclamation about this one given the efficiency with which the Eagles have closed the Falcons in recent years, but at least on paper (and especially after this game in Washington), it's is also Atlanta's most important asset. I'm worried about the fate of this offensive line already, but it should really be more successful in the air this week, which hopefully will contribute to the victory.
4 – What is the greatest weakness of Falcons? What do you worry most about the Eagles?
The password defense has not been tested, really, so I can not call it the biggest weakness for the moment. I expect the Eagles to be able to pass them quite effectively, but that 's not their biggest problem.
It's the defense against the race, always. The Falcons have become more severe indoors, with Grady Jarrett and Tyeler Davison He looked great against Minnesota, but the Vikings had a lot of success on the outside. Once Dalvin Cook We came to the second level, there was not a lot of quality attacks, and this defense showed zero ability to take advantage Sunday. I am legitimately concerned that Darren Sproles, Miles Sanders, and Jordan Howard will reach the edge and just take off, and a successful effort from the Eagles ground game will deplete them and lead to scoring.
5 – Who wins this game and why? Prediction score? And what are your expectations for the rest of the Falcons season?
The Eagles, I think, and I will say 31-27. I think it will be a bit like a shootout because I think the Falcons' offense is going to bounce back, but Philadelphia has had its number for a while now, Atlanta did not look very prepared for last season's season and there are too many question marks for me to be confident in this team that is making its way in front of you, even at home. I hope I'm wrong – a 0-2 start is not ideal – but it's hard for me to imagine that the Falcons are escaping this week. I'm counting on a turnaround or two of this defense and on a brilliant day of passing attack, and as we all know, none of these have been abundant in the past three meetings.
I think the Falcons still have the talent to be NFC contenders this season. My prediction before the season was 11-5, so I'm going to stick to that until I can not stick to it anymore. It is clear that they will have to bounce back quickly and solve the problems with the two lines before we can put ourselves at ease, but I hope that hope it starts this Sunday night.
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