The Eagles are taking on the Atlanta Falcons in their first regular-season game. This is going to be a tough road test as Mercedes Benz Stadium will be loud and chaotic, as fans will be excited to be back in the stadium. This article will offer a preview of the Philadelphia Eagles’ upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jalen Hurts has officially been named the Eagles’ starting quarterback. It has taken Nick Sirianni all off-season to come to this decision. This was a good move because Hurts is the Eagles’ best chance to win right now. This week’s game against the Falcons will be a crucial game for Hurts. He needs to get off to a good start passing the ball. The Eagles provided him with a stud in DeVonta Smith that will definitely provide Hurts with many explosive plays. It would be nice to see Hurts as mostly a pocket passer during this game. He is a great runner and has speed but he needs to be healthy throughout the season for the Eagles to have a shot at the postseason.
The best way to help a young quarterback is to have a good running attack. The Eagles have that in Miles Sanders. He is coming off a great 2020 season as he had 867 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Sanders needs to find holes in the Atlanta defense and pull off some explosive runs in this game to help out Hurts. Play action is another reason the running game is important to the Eagles in this game. They have two great tight ends in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert that are dangerous in the middle of the field. The Eagles need to find ways to get them open and play action is one of the best options for this Eagles offense.
The Atlanta Falcons tout some pretty good receivers in Calvin Ridley and Russel Gage. The Eagles also need to worry about rookie Kyle Pitts, who can play receiver and tight end. The Eagles secondary that is led by Darius Slay needs to hold Ridley, Gage and Pitts to minimal receiving yards and limit their explosiveness. Limiting those things will not be easy, as Matt Ryan is a veteran quarterback and a prolific passer. He is accurate and can fit the ball into some tight spaces. Although Ryan is accurate passing, he does not have a lot of mobility which is one less thing for the Eagles defense to worry about.
Photo courtesy of Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire
Alex Singleton is a key player to this Eagles defense now. He had a great 2020 campaign as he made a lot of tackles and can also rush the quarterback. The Eagles linebacker is really good at reading plays and flying to whoever has the ball. Another defensive player the Eagles need to rely on is Eagles veteran Fletcher Cox. He is great at getting to the quarterback and making the opposing offense go backward. He had six and a half sacks last season. Hopefully, Cox will be able to improve this number in the 2021 season.
The Eagles need to trust their rookies and play them some during this game. One rookie that really stands out is Kenneth Gainwell. The Eagles should utilize his speed and great receiving ability in the flat. The Eagles also need to get Devonta Smith going right away. The young receiver is going to have nerves and it will be better if he drops a pass early in the game rather than later on when it is crunch time.
On the other side of the ball, it would be nice to see Zek McPherson get a little bit of playing time. He had his struggles in the preseason with preventing receivers from catching the ball. He did however always make the tackle once the ball was caught which is a major upside to this young cornerback.
It will be interesting to see how this Eagles team does in their first regular-season game. This was a Philadelphia Eagles game preview on the Atlanta Falcons game.
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