Falcon Report

Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles Keys to Victory

If the Atlanta Falcons want to get into the win column on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, Bijan Robinson will have a big role.

CJ Errickson

Raheem Morris on Kirk Cousins Health, Deflects Scheme Questions
Raheem Morris on Kirk Cousins Health, Deflects Scheme Questions /
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The Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles are in different boats entering Week 2. The Eagles traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they defeated the Green Bay Packers in a high-scoring 34-29 affair. Despite the approximate five thousand air miles between Philadelphia, Pa. and their Week 1 venue, the Eagles have ten days of rest before facing the Falcons on Monday Night Football, September 16th.  

On the other hand, head coach Raheem Morris’s team is searching for answers on offense after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home 18-10 this past Sunday. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has a challenging task with his veteran quarterback as they enter one of the NFL’s most hostile environments in a primetime affair. 

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The City of Brotherly Love has been everything but kind to the visiting team, as the Eagles boast a 15-2 record on their turf the last two seasons. The home opener for a city that breathes, eats, and loves its football team (possibly too much) can either make or break Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta offense. Here are the away teams’ keys to victory.

Be less predictable on offense

Every fan complains about how predictable their offense is. But Sunday's showing against the Steelers in Zac Robinson's first game of calling plays truly was.

The Falcons operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun formation. The pistol is a shotgun when the running back lines up behind the quarterback.

According to ESPN Stats, every snap the Falcons took out of the shotgun was a pass, and 81% of their plays out of the pistol was a run. This means for 94% of the Falcons' offensive snaps, the Steelers would know if it was a run or a pass.

That cannot happen again if the Falcons want to beat anyone this year.

Establish the rushing attack early and often.

In Week 1, the Falcons only rushed the ball 22 times between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Next Monday, they must raise that number against an opponent who is currently the league’s No. 26 run defense, allowing an astonishing 7.8 yards per carry. With two talented backs who can create something out of nothing, the offense has to capitalize and be more creative with its rush concepts.

Fortunately, the Eagles' defensive front is not that of their Pennsylvania counterpart, the Steelers. Establishing the rushing attack will take the pressure off of Kirk Cousins and the Falcons' passing attack, which is still looking to find a rhythm. Finding a groove with a Philadelphia crowd in the background is no simple task. 

Slow down Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts on the ground, or suffer the consequences.

Running back Saquon Barkley is ‘back home’ as a new member of the Philadelphia Eagles after spending the first-six years of his career with the rival New York Giants. The former Penn State alum ran wild in his first game with his new team, and as a result, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week Honors. 

New defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s defense did a fantastic job limiting the Steelers’ ground game last Sunday. They only allowed 3.3 yards per carry, which was the fourth-best in the NFL after the opening week. On Monday, slowing down Saquon should be the priority, but limiting explosive runs by quarterback Jalen Hurts is another task in and of itself. 

Last week, the Packers limited him to just 33 yards on the ground, which kept them in the game until the final minutes. For the Falcons, containing him will be critical, as it was with Justin Fields last week—which they did an excellent job with, as he only had 57 yards rushing on 14 attempts. 

Win the turnover battle.

Last week, Atlanta had three turnovers and generated zero. In a close game like last week’s, those mistakes can be fatal—and they proved to be in the end. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is prone to making mistakes, as he had four last week. 

With playmakers like Matt Judon, Jessie Bates III, and Justin Simmons – the Falcons cannot only create turnovers but score from said mistakes as well, which is what the Falcons defense is looking to do after a positive outing in Week 1.  "We could’ve gotten more turnovers, and we could have affected the game more," Matt Judon told Falcons on SI. "It’s not frustrating [when the offense struggles]. We just have to go back, look at the film, and see what we can do better."

Look for them to have plenty of opportunities in primetime on Monday night. 

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CJ Errickson
CJ ERRICKSON

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