The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to down to the Dirty South, to battle the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, in front of a national television audience. The Eagles are 1-0 after a comeback victory over the Redskins in the season opener.
The Falcons are looking to rebound after a disastrous season opener in Minnesota, that saw Atlanta get behind four scores before making the contest somewhat respectable.
With the Falcons needing a win and the Eagles looking to start 2-0 on the young regular season, here are four things to watch when the Falcons have the ball.
Eagles DE Brandon Graham vs. Falcons RT Kaleb McGary
The Falcons spent two first-round picks on the offensive line in the 2019 NFL Draft, selecting guard Chris Lindstrom out of Boston College at No. 14 and then tackle Kaleb McGary out of Washington at No. 31. Only McGary will be available tomorrow after Lindstrom was hurt in the season opener and needed to have foot surgery. McGary is working his way back to full strength and will have to deal with the veteran, Brandon Graham, a pass rush demon, who just registered six quarterback pressures in the opener against Washington according to NFL Next Gen Stats. With Jake Matthews expected to receive help with Derek Barnett, McGary could be on an island alone against Graham. Look for Graham to have a huge ballgame against the rookie.
Eagles CBs Ronald Darby, Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, and Avonte Maddox vs. Falcons WRs Julio Jones, Mohamad Sanu, and Calvin Ridley
The Eagles don’t shadow cornerbacks on wide receivers and with Ronald Darby still recovering from a torn ACL, look for the Birds to rotate cornerbacks. Darby could be the guy that ends up having the most success against Julio Jones, who has tormented the Eagles in their recent matchups. With Jones being the guy, it’ll be imperative for Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones to corral Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu when matched up with that duo.
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox vs. Falcons LG James Carpenter, C Alex Mack, RG Jamon Brown
The Falcons offensive line is not currently a strength on this team and the Eagles just happen to have the second-best defensive tackle on the planet ready and available. With rookie right guard Chris Lindstrom out with a broken foot, backup Jamon Brown will get the start in his place and date with Fletcher Cox on most downs. Philadelphia will be without starting defensive tackle Malik Jackson for the year, but Cox has dominated the Falcons in matchups and Timmy Jernigan looked extremely impressive in the season opener. If the interior trio of Jamon Brown, Alex Mack, and James Carpenter can’t hold up against Cox, Sunday night could be a nightmare for Matt Ryan.
Malcolm Jenkins vs. Mohamed Sanu WR, Austin Hooper TE
Jenkins is versatile, which means you could see him in the slot line up against Sanu, or on the line of scrimmage in a linebacker role, shadowing tight end, Austin Hooper. Hooper caught 88 passes last season for Atlanta and is coming off a nine catch season debut against the Vikings.
