Behind Enemy Lines: Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Question #1: Carson Wentz set the league on fire in his first three games, but has since come back down to Earth in the team’s last five. Has that been more because of a lack of weapons around him, or have teams started to figure out some of his weaknesses?

Joe Kalafut: It’s definitely a lack of weapons. I still believe that Carson Wentz could be everything that people have said about him during the hot stretch. The offensive line has also been a major letdown for this team. They’re starting a rookie fifth round right tackle and center Jason Kelce’s small stature has showed up against some bigger defensive lines this year. Lastly, the lack of a top notch receiver has continued to plague this team.

My take: Based on what I’ve seen from the Eagles offense, they seem to have a lack of playmakers on that side of the ball. Jordan Matthews is arguably their best receiver and on most other teams he’s probably no better than a number three receiver. He also drops a lot of passes, which is something the entire receiving corps struggles with. They brought in Titan cast-off Dorial Green-Beckham via a trade in the offseason, but the 6-foot-6 former second round pick has yet to make a major impact for the Eagles.

The run game hasn’t been much better for the Eagles. The team has turned to 33-year old speedster Darren Sproles in favor of Ryan Mathews as their starting running back due in part to Mathews’s fumbling issues. Sproles could give the Falcons fits given the defense’s penchant for surrendering large chunks to opposing backs in the pass game.

Like the Falcons, the Eagles also have a promising young tight end out of Stanford in Zach Ertz. Ertz has battled some injuries this season, but when healthy he is capable of racking up yards down the middle of the field. The matchup between he and Falcons rookie linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will be one to watch throughout the game.