September 15, 2015
ATLANTA -- Well that was a buzz kill. On a frustrating night in Atlanta, the Eagles came out extraordinarily flat, and their second-half rally fell short as the Falcons sent them to an 0-1 record out of the gate. Win or lose, as always, our 10 post-game awards!
I mean, I get it. The Falcons had eight in the box all game, and the run game wasn't exactly working, but literally nobody has the following split of carries in mind before the season began:
The backs did contribute in the passing game, especially Darren Sproles, who was great. But still... Bleh.
Meanwhile, Sam Bradford threw the ball 52 times. Maybe we should have called this the Andy Reid Award?
This speaks for itself:
One handed. Diving backwards. In the end zone. Kiko Alonso, you gotta be kidding with this INT. #PHIvsATL http://t.co/U9ei4PenNl
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2015
Alonso, chatterbox that he is, described the play in the locker room after the game.
"I just had the guy coming in, and I turned around, and he threw it my way."
Thanks, Kiko.
Last season, we used to refer to #24 as Bradley "Under the Rainbow" Fletcher.
To be fair, Julio Jones is pretty freaking good, but we saw a bunch of this...
After a very shaky preseason, Parkey missed an incredibly important 44-yard field goal that Chip Kelly categorized as "not a tough one." It would have given the Eagles a one-point lead with about two and a half minutes to go.
Would you say it's time for Eagles fans to crack each others' skulls open and feast on the goo inside? Yes, I would, Kent.
OK, so if the Falcons had eight in the box all game, why not take a few shots down the field? It's hard to determine whether the Eagles just weren't calling for deeper throws or if Bradford chose not to attempt them, but that's certainly one way to keep a defense honest.
After a great training camp and flashy preseason, Agholor started but didn't have a catch until the fourth quarter. One catch, five yards.
There were questions as to who the Eagles were going to use at nickel back. Would it be Eric Rowe? E.J. Biggers? Nope. The Eagles opted to slide Jenkins down into the slot and put Maragos in at safety. In other words, the Eagles would prefer a special teams guy be on the field with the regular defense over their second-round draft pick.
The Falcons bottled up the Eagles' rushing attack inside all game long, as the Eagles' OL failed to open up any holes in the interior of the Falcons D. That is concerning, as the inside run is an enormous part of the Eagles' offense.
Yep, we're headed into Week 2 and the Eagles already face a 'must win' game at home against the Cowboys next Sunday.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
