LISTEN: Was Falcons' Rookie Jalen Mayfield Set Up to Fail vs. Eagles?

Locked On Falcons: Rapid Reaction to Falcons 32-6 Week 1 loss to Eagles

Jeremy Brener | Sep 13, 2021

The Atlanta Falcons kicked off their 2021 season Sunday with a resounding 32-6 loss at home to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's definitely not the start the team was looking for after a lot of optimism in the offseason. It's also not how rookie offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield was hoping his NFL debut would go.

"I thought I did some good things but there’s a lot I need to improve on," said the third-round pick in last April's draft. "Other than that, you know, we got it out of the way and now we’re on to Tampa. I have to do everything better. There’s not one thing in my game that’s fully complete. I have to improve on everything that I do.”

Mayfield often lined up opposite Eagles' 300-pound defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who poses a challenge for even the most prolific offensive linemen. Hargrave finished the day with two sacks.

While many teams opted to ease their rookies into the season, the Falcons sent Mayfield out on the season's first snap. His performance poses the question on whether the team was right in expecting so much, so soon?

On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman shares his takeaways from the Falcons' 32-6 Week 1 loss to the Eagles.

He also discusses Matt Ryan's quarterback performance, the offensive line, Arthur Smith's play-calling, the lack of pass rush and wonders if Mayfield was set up to fail.

He summarizes the game including the strong start for the Falcons offense followed by stagnation along with the ups and downs of the team's defense.

Then, he hands out grades for the passing and rushing attacks on both sides of the ball as well as special teams.

Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.

CONTINUE READING: Falcons Pair of Moves Completes 53-Man Roster

Published Sep 13, 2021

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.