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Welp. The Falcons just got their butts kicked in Minnesota. It was ugly. The Falcons got off the bus and got the yips. It happens. You don't want it to happen week one, but if you thought the Falcons were going to play 16 games of great, flawless football, you must be new here. I'm not excusing the performance away, not in the slightest. But I said it last week, if they didn't stop the run it would be a long game. They didn't. Add in several of our key players have very subpar days (Matt, Jake, Freeman, Neal, Takk) and you get a 28-0 kick your teeth in butt whooping. Falcons are 0-1. It's one game. One week. On to Philadelphia. Head Coach: Doug Pedersen Offensive Style: West Coast on 2019 Drugs Defensive Style: Aggressive, attacking 4-3 defense 2018 Record: 9-7 The Way I See It: This game is no different than the Vikings game. The only difference? The good guys are at home. The bad part? The Falcons are only 18-14 at home under DQ. There is no home field advantage in this one. The Falcons just got embarrassed. What are they going to do about it? Right now, the fans have no reason to show up for this one other than it being the home opener. But if they stink it up early, the boo birds will be out and the Falcons just might get embarrassed at home on prime time television. This is going to be a very big test to see what kind of coach DQ is. The offense was taken advantage of out of the gate. The defense didn't play any kind of assignment football. You better believe all of this is on tape now and going to be attacked. If the defense wants to prove they are good, they better show up this week. They clearly heard all of the talk about everyone being healthy and the defense should be good. None of that matters if you don't come to play. The Vikings showed you that first hand. How We Match Up: Same as the Vikings game. We match up well on paper. Some fans are intimidated by the Eagles. Boo hoo for them. For me, they are a good team. As usual. But we've been right there on their heels the last two times we played. Fans talk about their OL mauling us, yet that didn't happen either of the last two times we played. We get them at home this time. Pissed. We saw Grady, Davison, and Bailey give the Vikings interior fits. If they can recreate that, I like their chances of getting after the Eagles. I like how the defense matches up across the board. I'm not saying it's an advantage, but it's more push than anything. As for the offense....WAKE TF UP!!! Jake needs to play better. They need to have their sh*t together on Sunday. If they play to their level, they can light this defense up. Case Keenum put up 380 yards, 3 TDs, no INTs, and an 8.6 YPA. He torched them. No way around it. If they play up to their talent level, they can put up points. It's just a matter of if... When the Falcons are on Offense: Matt got his usual week one stinker out of the way. Since DQ has been here, Matt has averaged a 113.1 passer rating with a 7:2 TD/INT ratio in week two compared to 94.1 passer rating and a 5:3 split in week one. If there is one guy I'm putting money on, it's Matthew Thomas Ryan. He bounces back, this team can win. The last two games versus Philly on the road, he's been bad. But he's at home this time and fresh off a terrible game. He rarely puts two of these together. Like I noted above, Case Keenum lit this group up in week one. Matt can do that. The Eagles tend to be more aggressive but at times less disciplined. Sark refused to exploit this the two times in a row. If Koetter and Co. want to go home early, do the same. They need to exploit this secondary. Keenum had guys running wide open all game. With lesser talent. They need to win this match up consistently. The OL should be able to get some movement, especially with Brown in the game. Lindstrom is easily the better pass protector but Brown can maul in the run game. That 6'5 340lb man needs to earn his check Sunday. They don't need 100 yards, but they need balance and the threat of Freeman and Co breaking loose. Keep the offense in 2nd/3rd and manageable situations. I'm expecting a big bounce back game from everybody on this side of the ball. Koetter, Matt, Jake, Freeman. Everybody. Too much money and talent to score 0 points for a full game (**** the 12 points they were gifted). When the Falcons are on Defense: Shut the **** up and prove you're good. The talent is there. You smelled your own sh*t all offseason and found out it stunk on Sunday. That's what you get. If I was DQ, I'd have this tape on loop. I'd cut up the ugliest plays and have it on loop. Neal getting blown up on the edges. Takk looking like a dumb***. Vic jogging for a QB hit. Campbell looking stupid. Debo getting run over. All of it. Shut up and prove you are good. Nobody cares what you should be, cuz right now the 2019 tape says you are a bunch of jokes. They know they are a talented group. They can match up with anybody. We know that. You saw glimpses of it Sunday. But if you aren't tough enough to bounce back with your offense doing everything they could to throw the game, then you suck. Plain and simple. You're soft and everybody is going to shove the ball down your throat. Forget rushing the passer, every Sunday is going to be a run defense clinic until you prove otherwise. Jason Peters is going to maul Vic Beasley. Lane Johnson is going to laugh at Takk. I'm prepared for both happening. Grady is the only baller on defense right now. He'll look decent, but unless somebody shows up, it won't matter. Davison showed well. Bailey was decent. Clayborn was bad. Crawford was MIA. Everybody wants to be a hero. I want to find out who are the villains on this team. Who's ready to ruin somebody's day? Grady and....? Beyond that, Pedersen is going to test this teams discipline. He knows they are prepared to sell out on the edges. He'll be ready to counter it. He's got a legit stable of backs and is using them (unlike Atlanta...). His three backs carried the ball 26 times for 116 yards and 4.5 ypc. Varied rushing attack. He knows we'll be preparing to slow down DJax from replicating his fire show. Alshon and Ertz are next up for the light show. Are the Falcons ready to slow them down? They have the players. Will they play? I have no clue and don't care to project they will. Vegas Line: Vegas has the Eagles as a 1 point road favorite, with the o/u set at 51. Take it for what you will. Prediction: Again, this one is no different than the Vikings game. The last two times we played, the scores were 15-10 and 18-12, both Falcon losses. One score games. Will this one be the same? Who knows? Depends on which Falcons team shows up. The one from Sunday that didn't know which way was up? Or the one that can be overwhelming on defense and scary on offense? I'm usually optimistic about this team, but they don't deserve it this week. Welcome to Missouri. Show me. I'll believe it after this one.