The Philadelphia Eagles surrendered 26 points and 395 total yards of offense in their Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The pass rush managed to get to quarterback Matt Ryan only once, while All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones hauled in nine receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
On paper and at times in practice, Philadelphia’s defense didn’t look very good during Monday’s heartbreaking 26-24 defeat.
However, the reality of the situation is the Eagles wouldn’t have been in the game—much less had a chance to win it in the fourth quarter—if not for several key stops.
First, there were the turnovers, one of which prevented a Falcons touchdown. Another set up an Eagles score.
Interior linebacker Kiko Alonso made what was arguably the play of the night, a leaping, one-handed interception while falling backward into the end zone—covering four-time Pro Bowl wideout Roddy White, no less.
Later, safety Walter Thurmond jumped in front of a hurried Ryan pass intended for White on 3rd-and-14, returning the pick to Atlanta’s 8-yard line to set up a touchdown.
Then there was the bend-don’t-break philosophy that kept the Eagles within striking distance despite a miserable first half.
The Eagles forced Atlanta to kick four field goals over the course of the contest. Although the Falcons managed to find their way into the end zone twice, one of those touchdowns came on a drive that started at the Philadelphia 27-yard line.
In all, the Falcons converted one of their three red-zone trips into six points. They were just 4-for-14 on third down. The Eagles were also successful in shutting down the run, holding Atlanta ball-carriers to 3.0 yards per carry.
Of course, the Eagles struggled against the pass, which has been the problem for awhile.
Philadelphia’s defense finished 31st and 32nd in the NFL through the air in each of the past two seasons, and the secondary has been an issue for far longer.
On Monday, Ryan completed 23 of 34 attempts for 298 yards (8.8 YPA) and two touchdowns. Worse, the Eagles' pass rush which was tied for second in the league with 49 sacks in 2014 managed to get to the quarterback--behind a patchwork offensive line--just once.
In addition to Jones’ big night, White also posted four receptions for 84 yards.
Yet what was promising about Philly’s performance was that it improved as the game went along. It was almost as if a different defense came out of the locker room for the second half.
After allowing 20 points in the first two quarters, the Eagles held Atlanta to only a pair of field goals the rest of the way. Jones, who is establishing himself as one of the most dominant receivers—if not the most dominant receiver--in pro football, had just one catch over the final 30 minutes, although it did go for 44 yards.
There were missed opportunities for the Eagles as well.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins had his hands on two potential interceptions that wound up falling to the turf for harmless incompletions.
Defensive end Fletcher Cox’s strip-sack that was recovered by outside linebacker Connor Barwin was nullified by a ticky-tack illegal contact penalty on Alonso—the next play went for a Jones touchdown.
It looked ugly at times in coverage, particularly for expensive free-agent cornerback Byron Maxwell. With that said, Jones and White are great receivers who are going to get theirs--especially when the O-line keeps Ryan clean.
Keep in mind, too, that the game was played at the Georgia Dome, where Ryan improved his record to 40-15. It’s a fast track that favors a quick-strike passing attack.
It didn’t help that Philadelphia’s offense dug the team such a deep hole to begin with, either. The score was 20-3 at halftime in large part due to the fact that the Eagles simply could not sustain drives. Just one of their eight first-half possessions went longer than six plays.
Perhaps the defensive performance would’ve been even better had the unit not spent so much time on the field early in the game--or if it had been playing with a lead rather than from behind.
We’ll never know, but one thing is for certain, and that is Philadelphia’s second-half offensive turnaround would not have been possible had the defense not kept the score reasonable.
There is to plenty left to work on and this isn’t an elite unit yet, but for once, the Eagles defense was the team's best unit on the field.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566804-for-once-defense-keeps-philadelphia-eagles-afloat-in-close-week-1-loss
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