Unlike last week’s regular-season opener when the Eagles came back from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat the Washington Redskins, they couldn’t pull out a win on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons in a 24-20 loss.
Just like their previous two matchups, this game came down to the wire as both teams made huge plays in the second half.
For the Eagles, Carson Wentz played an instrumental role in the team’s comeback, despite having a terrible first half in which he completed 37.5-percent of his passes (16 attempts) for 47 yards and two interceptions.
However, Wentz turned things around late in the third quarter. The former first-round pick found wide receiver Nelson Agholor in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on fourth and goal, bringing the Eagles within five points (17-12).
Then in the fourth quarter, Wentz put together another clutch scoring drive. This time, he completed 8-of-8 passes for 72 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, putting the Eagles up 20-17.
But the Eagles defense, whose performance was a bag of mixed results on Sunday night, got burned on a third-down blitz. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan found All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones for his second touchdown reception of the game, putting the Falcons back up 24-20.
Nevertheless, the Eagles still had a chance to come back in the waning moments of the game. But it was not meant to be as Agholor dropped a wide-open up pass and tight end Zach Ertz fell short of the sticks on fourth down.
With the loss, the Eagles are now 1-1 and will be looking to rebound next Sunday at home against the Detroit Lions (1-1). Before we turn the page to Week 3, there were a few things that we learned about the team from Sunday night’s loss.
1) Another slow start dooms the Eagles
Last season, the Eagles had one of the worst scoring offenses in the first quarter, averaging 3.2 points per game.
Through the first two games of this season, it appears as if they have not found a remedy for their first quarter/first-half issues. Both Washington and Atlanta outscored Philadelphia 30-13 and outgained them 485-229.
Simply put, this is not a recipe for short or long-term success. After Sunday’s night loss, Wentz was asked about the team’s slow starts.
“Wish I had an answer. It’s something we’re all looking at,” he said (h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia). “By no means making excuses, but we were trying to figure out who we had out there and get guys in the right position. I think the coaches did a good job of that, we just have to execute better.”
Thanks to nagging injuries to DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Dallas Goedert. Wentz only had one active tight end (Ertz) and the receiver trio of Agholor, Mack Hollins and JJ Arcega-Whiteside at his disposal.
2) Running game still not clicking on all cylinders
After the Eagles racked up 123 yards on the ground last week against the Redskins and the Minnesota Vikings produced 172 rushing yards against the Falcons. One could make the case that the Eagles were due for another huge performance on the ground.
However, that was not the case on Sunday night as the Eagles’ ground game was held to an astonishing 49 yards ( 28 – Howard, 18 – Sanders, 3 – Wentz) on 21 carries.
Just like in last week’s game, the Eagles’ rushing attack was stifled in the first half as they only had 32 yards. But unlike last week’s outing, they could not take flight in the second half due to poor play from the offensive line.
The Eagles’ running game should get back on track next week against the Lions, who are giving up 124.5 yards per game.
3) Lack of a pass rush still non-existent
For the first time in a long time, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz decided to dial-up multiple blitzes to help create some pressure against Ryan and the Falcons’ offense.
The results varied.
When he called an all-out blitz late in the third quarter, Ryan was intercepted by cornerback Ronald Darby.
Darby had his struggles throughout the first half but redeemed himself in the third frame with that turnover.
Consequently, the Eagles got burned by the blitz as Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter called a wide receiver screen for Julio Jones on third down, who ran it in for a 54-yard touchdown.
The Eagles must find a way to generate a pass rush, especially with starting defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan out indefinitely with a foot injury.
