Behind Enemy Lines: Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Question #3: When the Falcons offense has been slowed down this year, it’s because the opposing defense has gotten after Matt Ryan. The Eagles boast one of the league’s best pass rushes, led by Pro Bowl DT Fletcher Cox and rising star DE Brandon Graham. What can we expect from the Eagles pass rush in the game on Sunday?

Joe Kalafut: With this unit, I believe the Eagles are going to get after the quarterback every game. However, they’ve struggled in that area the last two games, which is especially troublesome with the kind of secondary we have. Jim Schwartz does dial up a lot of blitzes — a lot more than the old regime — so that helps take the burden off the porous secondary. Bennie Logan, from what I’ve heard, appears like he will be back for this game, so that will give the Eagles pass rush an added boost it has not had the last few weeks.

My take: The Falcons offensive line will certainly have their hands full with this bunch. Fletcher Cox is on par with Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy, who the Falcons know very well. However, unlike the matchup with the Bucs, the Falcons have to be cautious devoting double teams to Cox because of the man that lines up next to him.

Bennie Logan can be a force in his own right, especially if you let him go one-on-one with a guard. He is especially disruptive in the run game, so taking care of him could prove to be the difference between a balanced game plan for the Falcons or one in which they’ll have to take to the air more times than not. Logan missed the last several weeks with a groin injury, so his status this week will be worth monitoring.

If Logan and company do shut down the Falcons’ run game, that will play right into the hands of the Eagles edge rushers—Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin, and Vinny Curry. Brandon Graham leads all 4-3 DEs in QB pressures this season. The matchup between he and RT Ryan Schraeder will go a long way in determining the success of the Falcons offense.