The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons start their season in Atlanta. The Falcons are favored by the NFL odds but are they the right NFL pick?
Sunday, September 12, 2O21 – 1:00 PM EDT at Mercedes Benz Stadium
The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn midway through the season and interim head coach Raheem Morris managed to turn them into a respectable unit to finish the season off. Morris did not return however as the Falcons opted to bring in Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to lead the charge this season. Smith worked wonders in the Tennessee offense, turning Ryan Tannehill into a legitimate top 10 quarterback, and making great use of weapons Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith, and AJ Brown. Smith’s use of former Titans Tight End Johnnu Smith should also be a factor as the Falcons brought in one of the best tight end prospects I have ever seen, Kyle Pitts.
One of the reasons the Falcons were comfortable moving on from franchise stalwart Julio Jones was the addition of Kyle Pitts. Pitts is everything that you want in a tight end. He is strong, fast with great hands. It will be a matchup nightmare for if the Eagles defense is trying to key on him, Calvin Ridley will once again feast, using his connection with Matt Ryan. The Falcons added running back Mike Davis to upgrade a position that was a weakness last season.
Even with the loss of Julio Jones, I still expect the Falcons offense to be potent. The defense however is a different story. The play of the defense will probably be the key to Atlanta season. The defense was terrible under coach Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris managed to make it respectable during his time as interim coach. Smith brought with him another colleague from his days at Tennessee, 71-year-old Dean Peas.
Peas is 1 of 8 defensive coordinators in NFL history to coach two different teams in the Super Bowl. The Falcons’ major question for this season is... will Peas intricate, disguised, blitzing schemes do well in Atlanta? Or will it be too much for the players to learn in one offseason? Quarterback Matt Ryan returns and he’s always been a very reliable quarterback. Ryan should thrive under an offensive coach like Smith and we should be able to expect a statistical resurgence from him this season. How will he do against this Philadelphia defense and their particularly strong defensive line?
Philadelphia Eagles made a strong change of direction in the offseason jettisoning Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson and former franchise quarterback Carson Wentz. Last year’s second-round pick QB Jalen Hurts took over to end the season and he has energized his team with his skill, leadership, and work ethic. People around Hurts love him, the question is does he have the talent to be a top-flight NFL quarterback.?
The Eagles used draft capital to help their young quarterback drafting Devonta Smith at Alabama. Smith is a gifted route runner with great hands and should provide Hurts an outlet to go with his two strong tight ends. The Eagles’ offensive line had serious issues with health last season. Oft-injured 39-year-old OT Jason Peters left and he will be replaced by Jordan Mailata. Mailata was impressive during training camp and in pre-season, let’s see how he fares against NFL regular-season speed. The Eagles line play should be a strength though, and not just on the offensive side of the ball.
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl they did so on the strength of their defensive line and that still will be a strength of the team. This will be necessary because questions about the Eagles’ secondary abound. The Eagles acquired cornerback Darius Slay in the offseason last year, but according to Pro Football Focus ranking, Slay has gone from a shutdown cornerback to just an average cornerback.
The Eagles will need Slay to return to his shutdown ways in order to be a top 10 NFL defense. Two coaches will be making their NFL debut in this game on Sunday. Nick Sirianni has been a firecracker in camp but we will see how he does running a team on its own, Sirianni’s ability to adapt and learn quickly in the head coach position will be another key for the Eagles this season.
Eagles Defensive Line versus the Falcons Offensive Line. If you give Matt Ryan time, he will absolutely torch this Eagles secondary. But the Eagles’ defensive line has been able to beat better offensive lines than this. Let’s see how Arthur Smith is able to coach and scheme against the Eagles’ superior pass rush. Derrick Henry was a big boon to the Titans’ protection scheme when Smith ran the Titans’ offense. Without Henry how will Smith assure that Ryan has time to find his many weapons?
I think Smith can find a way to give Ryan time to let Ridley and Pitts get open downfield. Pitts is a matchup nightmare and if it were not for multiple talented quarterbacks in this draft, he would be a huge candidate for offensive Rookie of the Year. The Eagles did seem to have continuity issues and problems learning the new scheme during the preseason. While I do believe is Eagles team has a strong fighting spirit and will show some good results this season, the Falcons will get it done at home to open the season.
NFL Pick: Atlanta Falcons -3.5 (-103) at BookMaker (visit our BookMaker Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.