Atlanta Falcons vs. Eagles: Divisional Round Staff predictions

Writer: Randy Gurzi

Breakdown: This game would have looked much worse for the Atlanta Falcons had the Eagles not lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL late in the year. The second-year signal caller was the favorite according to most for the 2017 NFL MVP Award and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t have been favored all the way to the Super Bowl.

As fate would have it, they have to go without their leader and now the Atlanta Falcons come in as the No. 6 seed and are favored to win. That’s understandable considering Atlanta dominated last weekend on the road against the Los Angeles Rams and they’re the defending NFC champs.

However, they can’t sleep on the birds from the north east. Philly still has an outstanding defensive front and can make life hard on Matt Ryan. They also have a viable backup quarterback in Nick Foles, who’s no stranger to starting in this league.

As long as they keep their head on straight though, Atlanta should win this one. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman should both be featured in the passing game as the linebackers for Philadelphia are a weakness — although that’s only because of them missing Jordan Hicks at the mike. It may not look as pretty as we want, but Atlanta just has to play clean offense to escape with another win.

Prediction: Atlanta 19, Philadelphia 13