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Atlanta Falcons: Their Five Toughest Games and How They Can Win Each One

By Christopher Townsend

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 13: Malcolm Jenkins
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 13: Malcolm Jenkins /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The reigning champs will be no joke this year.  Their defense will be lights-out, especially after acquiring 3x Pro-Bowler Michael Bennett from the Seahawks.  In addition to their amazing defense, their offense is as dynamic as it gets.

Carson Wentz is a fantastic dual-threat quarterback who facilitates the offense very well.  Their backfield is quite electric too with Jay Ajayi at the forefront and with the high-potential players like Corey Clement and Darren Sproles.  There is nothing on this team that you can glance over.

On top of that, the Atlanta Falcons play the Eagles in Philadelphia…in the first game of the year.  Not only is it the first game for both teams, it is the first game of the NFL season.  Oh, and let’s not forget that this is a night game on a Thursday, nonetheless.

I do not think it gets anymore intimidating than that.  Also, no team wants to start the season off on the wrong foot and lose the first game.  Though the Falcons lost to Tampa Bay in the first game of the 2016 season and still made it to the Super Bowl, the competitiveness of this game will be at an all time high.  The Eagles will be trying to prove that they are still the best team in the league and the Falcons will be looking to spoil that.

Furthermore, this is how the Falcons should approach this game.  A lot of this game will have to be on the shoulders of the defense.  I think that Atlanta should definitely Blitz a lot, considering the fact that Wentz is coming off an ACL tear.

In addition to that, Deion Jones will have to play QB-Spy for the majority of this game.  Wentz is a very shifty and fast quarterback who can move outside the pocket and throw it deep downfield or run for a 10+ yard gain.  Jones will be the guy to keep an eye on him and make sure that he does not go far.  One last thing, the Falcons should be able to draw attention away from Julio Jones thanks to the addition of Calvin Ridley.  Therefore, Matt Ryan should be finding Julio a lot in this affair.

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