Tale of the tape: How the Eagles stack up versus the Atlanta Falcons
8 January 2018 Eagles News
After defeating the Los Angeles Rams 26-13, the Atlanta Falcons will be riding the wildcard momentum into Philadelphia this Saturday. High in confidence, the Falcons will be taking on a well-rested Eagles team. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup coming into for wishing this Saturday.
Let’s start with the Falcons defense.
On the season, the Falcons pass defense ranked 12th in the NFL and their run defense ranked 9th. The Falcons have a very good defensive line and linebacking group. Their secondary consists of two very good safeties, but their cornerbacks are suspect. However, in the playoffs, the Falcons defense played above their season average. Against the Rams, we saw a defense shut down MVP candidate Todd Gurley and made things difficult for quarterback Jared Goff. The Falcons’ battle-tested defense bent a little but did not break and coming into the game versus the Eagles expect much of the same from this group. In no way are they the best defense out there, but they have been there and have done it, their experience and toughness carry them a long way.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Falcons have a balanced attack which gives Matt Ryan and running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman a fair share of the ball. Ryan has a plethora of weapons at his disposal in both running backs, Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and others. Although their offense seems stacked against the Rams, we saw them rely more on the run and their defense.
The Eagles know what they are up against as they played the Falcons last year. The Eagles were victorious on the day 24-15. Carson Wentz did not score a touchdown that day as the Eagles were dominant on the ground. Running back Ryan Mathews rushed for two touchdowns and over 100 yards. The Eagles can use the same formula from that game in this one. With Nick Foles in, the Eagles should need to use their run game to take away the pressure from Foles. The Falcons are a very good defensive team, however, at home, the Eagles are a different team and behind their run game and defense, they have a chance to win this game.
Photo Credit: AP
Ryan Neal Atlanta Falcons, Carson Wentz, Julio Jones Devonta Freeman, Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles