Week 1 has come and gone, and all we have to show for it is a 0-1 record. In what should have been an easy win in Atlanta, the Eagles struggled mightily in the first half. They made a hell of a run in the second half, but it was too little too late, as the Falcons won 26-24.
After a terrific preseason, many NFL pundits predicted not only a division title, but even a Super Bowl trip for the Eagles. They didn't look like a Super Bowl contender in the first half, going into halftime down 20-3. Bradford was missing targets, receivers were dropping balls, the offensive line was racking up penalties. It was just a terrible effort all around.
The defense was struggling as well. Julio Jones scored both of his touchdowns in the first half and the Falcons were moving the ball at will.
However, after Chip Kelly had a word with his team at halftime, the Eagles looked like a completely different team in the second half, allowing just two field goals on defense and scoring 87% of their points in the half. But it was too little too late, falling to the Falcons by just two points. Cody Parkey had a chance to get the Eagles the lead with just two and a half minutes left, but he missed wide right, and the Falcons were able to waste a lot of the remaining time before ultimately winning.
In his first regular season game as an Eagle, Bradford threw for 336 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs on 36 of 52 passing, with one of the picks coming off of a pass that should have been caught by Jordan Matthews near the end of regulation. He was off with his receivers in the first half, but developed a good rapport with them in the second half.
The three headed monster of Murray, Mathews, and Sproles combined for just 63 rushing yards, but had two rushing touchdowns on the night. In the upcoming game against Dallas, the Eagles need to try and establish the run earlier on.
Even with his critical dropped pass in the last possession, Jordan Matthews had a decent game as the number one receiver, cathing 10 passes for 102 yards. Sproles also played a huge part in the passing game, going for 79 yards on 7 catches. Nelson Agholor had a great preseason, but struggled tonight, catching just one pass for 5 yards.
The defense let up just 26 points, but 20 of them came in the first half. They took a while to find their stride, but finally did at the end of the game. They had just one sack on Matt Ryan, but picked him off twice (Walter Thurmond and Kiko Alonso). Alonso's interception was not only aesthetically pleasing, a one handed snag in the end zone, but saved the Eagles from being down by yet another touchdown.
If you're looking for something to take away from tonight, it's that the Eagles looked a lot better in the second half, which will hopefully carry over into the game against Dallas next weekend. It's tough to start the season on the road, especially with a new QB, and the growing pains showed. At the end of the day, it's just one game, and not even against a division rival. However, they need to bring their A game and get a victory against a Dez-less Cowboys to avoid going 0-2.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
The defense was struggling as well. Julio Jones scored both of his touchdowns in the first half and the Falcons were moving the ball at will.
However, after Chip Kelly had a word with his team at halftime, the Eagles looked like a completely different team in the second half, allowing just two field goals on defense and scoring 87% of their points in the half. But it was too little too late, falling to the Falcons by just two points. Cody Parkey had a chance to get the Eagles the lead with just two and a half minutes left, but he missed wide right, and the Falcons were able to waste a lot of the remaining time before ultimately winning.
In his first regular season game as an Eagle, Bradford threw for 336 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs on 36 of 52 passing, with one of the picks coming off of a pass that should have been caught by Jordan Matthews near the end of regulation. He was off with his receivers in the first half, but developed a good rapport with them in the second half.
The three headed monster of Murray, Mathews, and Sproles combined for just 63 rushing yards, but had two rushing touchdowns on the night. In the upcoming game against Dallas, the Eagles need to try and establish the run earlier on.
Even with his critical dropped pass in the last possession, Jordan Matthews had a decent game as the number one receiver, cathing 10 passes for 102 yards. Sproles also played a huge part in the passing game, going for 79 yards on 7 catches. Nelson Agholor had a great preseason, but struggled tonight, catching just one pass for 5 yards.
The defense let up just 26 points, but 20 of them came in the first half. They took a while to find their stride, but finally did at the end of the game. They had just one sack on Matt Ryan, but picked him off twice (Walter Thurmond and Kiko Alonso). Alonso's interception was not only aesthetically pleasing, a one handed snag in the end zone, but saved the Eagles from being down by yet another touchdown.
If you're looking for something to take away from tonight, it's that the Eagles looked a lot better in the second half, which will hopefully carry over into the game against Dallas next weekend. It's tough to start the season on the road, especially with a new QB, and the growing pains showed. At the end of the day, it's just one game, and not even against a division rival. However, they need to bring their A game and get a victory against a Dez-less Cowboys to avoid going 0-2.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
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