Birds seek elusive early success against Falcons
PHILADELPHIA >> First quarters haven’t gone so well in recent times for the Eagles, who oppose the underdog Atlanta Falcons Sunday (8:20 p.m., NBC) for the first time at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The offense has scored on just 16.7 percent of its possessions in the first quarter, dating back to the start of last season. Contrast with the Kansas City Chiefs, who convert drives into points at a leagueleading 60.5 percent. The league average is 28.5 percent.
The numbers are worse in the touchdown department, the Eagles ranking just above the bottom-feeding Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets in terms of TDs per drive in first quarters.
Digging first quarter holes is how you make teams like the Washington Redskins think they can win.
“It’s a big game,” Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson said. “And the first quarter of the season is big for establishing an identity, who you want to be, and who the team is going to be. So, this is a big week for us. Especially on the road and playing them down there.”
Obviously if the Eagles knew exactly what the issue is it would be problem solved. It’s a combination of issues. But the scripts of opening plays haven’t been the same since Frank Reich left to take the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. Reich was a favorite of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who is at his best with a blistering fast tempo.
The hurry-up helped the Eagles get back in sync after they fell behind the Redskins, 17-0, and 20-7 in the first half of the opener last Sunday.
While head coach Doug Pederson initially denied that Wentz has any more control of the offense presnap than in the past, he couched it with so many uses of “however” Summary: Just like the Eagles alerted opponents in their opener, if you don’t play them deep DeSean Jackson will make you regret it. The Philly defense put out some nasty film – i.e., they can’t rush the passer. Tough to take the favored visitors in a September shootout.
The pick: Make it Falcons 27, Eagles 24.
and “for the most part” he eventually conceded it had changed.
“Sometimes, maybe when we’re struggling on offense and need to get a spark, a lot of times in our hurryup stuff we allow him to kind of take it over, just what he’s seeing and putting guys in position,” Pederson said of Wentz. “We help from the sideline. I give him a play from the sideline that we know has a couple of options on it, and then he can change one or multiple options on the play based on our game plan that week and that particular play. It can be really be any time during the game. There’s really no set time that we would use it other than if, again, the offense is struggling, and we want to get a spark and try to get something moving.”
Wentz will need to use that guile to catch the Falcons off balance. Under head coach Dan Quinn, who helped produce Super Bowl caliber defenses with the Seattle Seahawks, the Falcons play three-deep in the secondary. It helps them do a good job of keeping everything in front of them.
The numbers were skewed last week when the Falcons gave up 172 rushing yards in a 28-12 loss at Minnesota. The Vikings cashed in on almost every Falcons mistake, from a blocked punt to a couple of Matt Ryan interceptions.
Though that’s the start the Eagles would like, it’s hard to expect a Falcons team loaded with talent on both sides of the ball to self-destruct again. The last thing Wentz needs to do is force plays.
“I’ve just got to keep reminding myself to be patient,” Wentz said. “Take what’s there, enough to move the chains and when they get aggressive then we can be aggressive. It’s a little bit of a chess match.
“This is going to be a week when we have to stay patient, come out early and just kind of figure out what their plan is for us and just get the run game going and stay patient and do our thing.”
The Quinn-led Falcons haven’t been gashed by Jackson. When the Falcons have the ball, the Eagles have to pressure Ryan, push elite receiver Julio Jones off his spot and spy on running back Devonta Freeman. The Falcons are 0-7 when converting fewer than 30 percent on third down since the start of the 2017 season. The Eagles are 0-4 allowing 10 or more rushes of four or more yards since the start of 2018.
Compounding the lack of pass rush in the Eagles’ opener was the loss of Malik Jackson to a foot injury.
Looking ahead, to go from good to great, as the Eagles did on the road to their first Lombardi Trophy, they need to make the first quarters work for them.
“When we were in the Super Bowl season, that’s what we did,” Johnson said. “We were a big firsthalf team. I really don’t know if it’s the way we attack them or our schemes. I really don’t know because we haven’t done it enough.”