Nick Sirianni made an impressive coaching debut last Sunday as the Eagles took down the Atlanta Falcon. The game’s final score was 32-6. It was an impressive game for the Eagles team all around. Jalen Hurts showed the world that the Eagles are his team. Hurts’ former teammate from Alabama DeVonta Smith also had an impressive debut. The most impressive aspect of the game for the Eagles was the defense. They held Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense to six points during this game. This article will give a full recap on the Philadelphia Eagles’ first regular-season game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jalen Hurts balled out
The media has been all over Hurts with doubt that he cannot be a starting quarterback in the NFL. He was even ranked as one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league. However, Hurts proved his doubters wrong Sunday in Atlanta. He looked sharp passing the ball, as he utilized the short screen passes to the running backs and receivers a lot in this game. This was something Nick Sirianni wanted to focus on in the offense over the offseason and it seems like they’re having great success doing so.
Image courtesy of Kate Frese/ PhillyVoice
Hurts also avoided pressure well while using his feet and scrambled for a good amount of yards. He also made a beautiful pass to DeVonta Smith for a touchdown. Hurts also ended up throwing touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert and Jalen Reagor. The Eagles starting quarterback ended up having 263 passing yards, three touchdowns and 62 yards rushing.
Devnota Smith impressive in regular-season debut
The standout receiver in this game had to be Smith. Smith showed great hands and was a reliable target for Hurts. His first NFL reception was a 19-yard touchdown pass early in the game to give the Eagles the lead. He also had some good short to intermediate catches. There was a point where Hurts threw the ball to Smith four times in a row and Smith got the Eagles halfway down the field. He showed that he is well on his way to being an elite receiver on this Eagles offense. Smith ended the day with 71 yards and one touchdown.
Gainwell and Sanders carried the load
The Eagles made a great decision and decided to get rookie running back Kenneth Gainwell involved in the Eagle offensive attack. He was speedy and burst through the creases with good yardage. He had one rushing touchdown near the goal line where he just ran down the middle and was barely touched. Miles Sanders was also as good as advertised. He was fast and made great cuts upfield. The Eagles running back ended the day with 74 yards rushing.
The Eagles defense brings the pressure
The Eagles’ defense was the star of this game. The defensive line was pressuring Matt Ryan the whole game. Javon Hargrave led the defense with two sacks. One was late in the game and it sealed what little chance the Falcons had at coming back. Hassan Ridgeway also had one sack on the day. He ended his time on the field with two total tackles. The only negative thing about the defensive line is that they did struggle to stop the run early but the falcons never capitalized because of multiple penalties. Alex Singleton had another impressive showing for the Eagles defense. He had eight tackles on the day. He is great at always finding a way to the football and making the play.
Eagles secondary held Ryan to minimal passing yards
The secondary played very well. They allowed only 162 passing yards from Matt Ryan, which is impressive. They never gave up any big plays and kept the key receivers locked down during the game. The Eagles held Calvin Ridley in check with just 51 receiving yards and no touchdown. Kyle Pitts also had a quiet day and NFL debut with 31 receiving yards. Avonte Maddox led the way in statistics for the secondary. He had nine tackles and one pass deflection.
Overall the Eagles had an impressive debut on offense and defense. If there was one con to this victory for the Eagles, it would be the number of penalties they totaled. The Eagles had 14 penalties for 89 yards. They were lucky that the Falcons did worse than them in that category.
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