Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles: Tale of the tape
The offenses
Last season, the Eagles boasted the league’s fifth best offense; the Falcons were eighth. Atlanta (fifth) edged out Philadelphia (sixth) in passing yards but fell way behind on the ground. And the run game could have a more prominent role in both team’s units this year.
The Falcons hired Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator, and his mission is to strike balance between run and pass. They drafted running back Tevin Coleman in the third round back in May and have put a lot of faith in second-year Devonta Freeman to deliver. The Eagles are incredibly deep at the position despite losing LeSean McCoy. They added 2014 rushing champion DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to join Darren Sproles in the backfield.
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But make no mistake, these are two passing teams. Atlanta boasts an elite receiver in Julio Jones, with plenty of depth behind in Roddy White, Leonard Hankerson and Justin Hardy. Philadelphia replaced Jeremy Maclin with first round pick Nelson Agholor and hope second-year Jordan Matthews can continue to grow.
Both teams have high-flying offenses with different styles. The Falcons will remain a pass-first team with more balance; the Eagles are a scheme-heavy, finesse offense with playmakers in every position.
Next: The defenses