Eagles vs Falcons 5 Bold Predictions
The Atlanta Falcons come into town this weekend to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in what is seen as a must win game for Philadelphia. It seems like the past two games have been must wins, and the Eagles have failed to capitalize in each of them. A loss this week means the Eagles will drop to 4-5 with the toughest stretch of the schedule coming up. Going to Seattle, Green Bay, than Cincinnati, the Eagles must win this week to have any chance in the NFC Wild Card race.
Last time these two teams met was week one of the 2015 season. The Eagles fell into a 24-3 hole, to then come back and tie it to than lose by a field goal. With no Sam Bradford, Demarco Murray, and Byron Maxwell, the Eagles are a much different team than they were in September of 2015. Now led by Carson Wentz and Darren Sproles, who gashed the Falcons last time they met. The Eagles have been dominant at home this season, so can the trend continue today? Which bird will fly high? Continue on for five bold predictions for Eagles and Falcons.
Carson Wentz has best game of season
The Falcons defense has been very porous this season. While having one of the best offenses in the league, their defense does it no favor by giving up massive amounts of yards and points. With the advantage the Eagles offense will have today, I will expect Doug Pederson to let Carson Wentz give it a rip and take some shots. The Atlanta corners have been so bad that people even expect Nelson Agholor can have his way against them. We will see of course, but Wentz should be able to find plenty of opportunities all day to help the Eagles keep pace with the Falcons offense. Let`s say to the tune of 350 yards and 3 touchdowns.
It’s the Treggs show
Last week Bryce Treggs made his presence felt, as he ran past the Giants defense and hauled in a 57 yard reception. The longest catch by an Eagles receiver this season. The Eagles have lacked somebody to stretch the field and Bryce Treggs might be that guy. An undrafted rookie out of Cal, ran a 4.39 forty yard dash, by far the fastest on the Eagles. With the aforementioned struggles of the Falcons defense, expect Treggs to get behind the defense a couple of time and expect Carson Wentz to go deep to him a few times throughout. As with another week of experience, Treggs should be more comfortable in this offense. These are bold predictions right? So let`s say Treggs has over 100 receiving yards and his first career touchdown.
Sproles Rolls
As mentioned earlier, Darren Sproles gashed the Atlanta Falcons defense last season. Whether it was on the ground or in the passing game. Expect Doug Pederson to find ways to get Sproles involved in both. Especially on routes out of the back field matched up on linebackers. Which proved to be a huge mismatch last season. Also, look for some runs with Sproles to the edge, another thing Atlanta struggled with last season. I will add in here that Atlanta really struggled with the Eagles pace last year in the second half, so even in a game where ball control is so important, don`t be surprised to see the Eagles mix in some hurry up here and there. Back to Sproles, his final stat line against Atlanta last season was 5 carries for 50 yards, and 7 receptions for 76 yards. Expect a lot of the same today.
Mckelvin down and out
Leodis Mckelvin was nothing short of awful last week. Turning in a Bradley Fletcher type of performance, not very good. There is no way the Eagles should trust him matched up on one of the game`s best receivers in Julio Jones. It will be up to Nolan Carroll and Jalen Mills to help contain Jones. Rodney McLeod will also be relied on to provide safety help over the top to prevent Jones from breaking any big plays. I would expect that Mckelvin`s snap count is very limited today and don`t be surprised to see some CJ Smith or Aaron Grymes, both preseason standouts, who have finally made their way onto the 53 man roster. It will be vital for one of them to step up in the slot, because this will allow Malcolm Jenkins to move back to safety and play 2 safety looks with Rodney McLeod. It will be vital to protect the corners with two safeties back to prevent the big play.
Falcons win a shootout
This game has shootout written all over it. From the Falcons explosive offense to add their very bad defense. The Eagles offense should get back on track, but the defense won`t do enough to hold Atlanta. The Eagles defensive dominance at home will come to an end in a 35-30 loss. But, on the bright side, at least Carson Wentz will have a very promising game.
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