Matt Ryan comes back home to Pennsylvania where he leads his 6-3 Atlanta Falcons against the recently struggling Philadelphia Eagles. Atlanta sits atop the NFC South, while the Eagles suddenly find themselves rounding up the bottom of the scrappy NFC East. After two straight road losses for the Eagles, they travel back home to familiarity where they are 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field this season.
Philadelphia Eagles Week Ten Keys to Victory
Find a Way to Limit Ryan’s Damage
To many’s surprise, Matt Ryan leads the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns so far this year. In his sixth season, Julio Jones accounts for about one-third of Ryan’s yards, while other contributors, like Mohamed Sanu and Tevin Coleman, pick up some of the other slack. Atlanta’s passing game ranks first in pass plays twenty yards or more, which is a sore spot in the Eagles’ secondary.
The Eagles post the NFL’s seventh best passing defense, a convincing statistic that proves they may be able to diminish Ryan’s dominance through the air. Though the Atlanta passing game relies heavily on big plays, where the Eagles secondary has struggled, there is a chance the Eagles can keep the Atlanta offense at bay. Playing more deep zones with safety help over the top will help prevent any deep balls Ryan may throw. This strategy can help the Eagles limit the NFL’s best quarterback to reasonable numbers, putting themselves in a good position to win.
The Wheels of the “Wentz Wagon” are Falling Off
Through the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles went 3-0, with convincing wins against Cleveland, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. Rookie Carson Wentz exceeded shallow expectations and proved that as an inexperienced rookie quarterback, he was good enough to make it in the NFL.
But then the bye week came and things slowly started to take a wrong turn. 1-4 in the last five games with a 34.8 quarterback rating (QBR), and throughout the whole year he has a 45.0 QBR which is fourth worst of all starting quarterbacks. Wentz has received below par grades on the eye test and his turnovers are increasing. The “Wentz Wagon” that everyone hopped on after the first three weeks is taking a turn downhill, and many people are jumping off the wagon.
Despite the Eagles having one of the toughest remaining schedules, Wentz still has an opportunity to get the wagon back on track. Atlanta has the NFL’s sixth worst passing defense, surrendering 289 passing yards per game. This week against Atlanta is the perfect situation for Wentz to limit his turnovers, gain some confidence, and regain the trust by his teammates and the city of Philadelphia, a very manipulative fan base as many around the league know.
As we approach week ten of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles look to get things back on track after losing two straight games on the road. On the other side, however, Atlanta looks to continue their tremendous season, and defend their throne on top of the NFC South.
