Previewing Philadelphia’s Week 2 matchup.
The Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up for their home opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. In order to preview this Week 2 Monday Night Football matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at The Falcoholic. The dazzling Dave Choate kindly took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers. [For my answers about the Eagles, stay tuned to TF.]
1 – Everyone’s talking about how Kirk Cousins appears to be less than 100% coming off the Achilles injury. To what extent are you concerned about him this week? What kind of offensive adjustments do you expect to see, if any?
Cousins and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson were careful to say that the quarterback is fully healthy this week, and he was sprinting around and taking snaps under center during practice this week to seemingly prove that point. Taking the Falcons at their word, it still seems to me that the game plan and Cousins’ play indicate that he’s not totally comfortable just yet, which is an ongoing concern. I think we all need to see him playing better and looking more confident in his movements and passing to alleviate that concern.
Adjustments-wise, I’d expect that if Cousins is healthy and adjusting nicely post-injury, we’ll see at least a little more work under center and more play action, which won’t be hard after they somehow didn’t work a single play action pass in to the game plan last week. The biggest non-Cousins problem last week was a level of predictability the Steelers quickly keyed in on, so a little more subterfuge and a little more work with play action given that Cousins excels there would go a very long way against a tough Eagles defense.
2 – The Falcons didn’t allow a touchdown in Week 1. How confident are you in Atlanta’s defense slowing down the Eagles’ offense?
I think they’re going to need to force some turnovers to prevent this one from being a lot uglier than it was against the Steelers. Atlanta did a really nice job of slowing the run and clamping down on non-George Pickens options in the passing game, forcing the Steelers to eschew the middle of the field entirely and settle for field goals. There are too many weapons on Philadelphia’s offense for me to feel confident they can hold them to under 20 points, and 20 is probably the floor if this unit plays extremely well.
I’m looking for a good day from the interior of this defensive line and a pair of capable pass rushers at inside linebacker in Kaden Elliss and Troy Andersen, and I’m hoping Jalen Hurts is more willing to throw to where Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons will be lurking. Turnovers will change the complexion of this game; if the Falcons can’t get them, it’s likely to be an ugly one.
3 – At this point in time, do you feel like Bijan Robinson was worth the No. 8 pick? If the team could do it over, would you rather have them take Jalen Carter (who went one pick after him) or another player instead?
I love Bijan the person and the player, but the offense he’s been mired in and his usage have been frustrating through his first season-plus. It’s hard not to imagine what Carter, for example, would look like in Atlanta for a defensive front that could be truly dominant with him.
That said, I’m not ready to say I’d do it over again, because I think Bijan is so good that once the offense is more than just giving him the ball and hoping for the best, he’ll shine in a way that makes it clear why the Falcons prized him. I don’t think I’ll ever be totally on board with spending a top ten selection on a running back, but I think it’s inevitable that he gets as close to justifying the pick as any back can if Atlanta can stop being so dysfunctional on that side of the ball.
4 – Can you give us some insight on the Falcons’ injury situation?
They’re relatively healthy at the moment. Nate Landman is a quasi-starter splitting snaps with Troy Andersen at inside linebacker, with a focus on early downs because he’s such a capable run stopper, but he’s dealing with multiple injuries and may be a bit limited even if he plays. Cornerback Antonio Hamilton missed last week and will probably miss this game, too, but he’s the fifth cornerback. They’ll probably elevate a corner from the practice squad to fill in.
The only other slight concern is that starting right tackle Kaleb McGary is banged up, but I am expecting him to play. The Falcons have to do a better job of getting him help if he scuffles this week, though he at least doesn’t have to face T.J. Watt.
5 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 6.5-point home favorites, what’s your score prediction? And then what do you generally expect for the rest of this Falcons season?
I’ve got something to the tune of 27-20 Eagles, which is me making some major assumptions about offensive improvement that I hope won’t look silly after the game. It’s difficult for me to see the Falcons going into Philadelphia in primetime a week after struggling the way they did against Pittsburgh and coming away with a win. I think a couple turnovers will help make it a closer game, but I’ll be shocked if it’s a nail-biter in the end.
I think there’s a strong chance they start the year in an 0-3 hole, given that the Chiefs are up next, and rebound to win 8 or 9 games once they find their footing on offense. This is a talented team with a defense that’s quietly for real and an offense that has the ability to be so much more than what we saw against Pittsburgh; the question is really just whether they can get rolling early enough to make the postseason push we were hoping for.