10/28/12
This is my first Eagles blog entry and what a disappointment
it was to watch that game. Atlanta came in with a 6-0 record and Philadelphia
came in with a 3-3 record. Since 1999, under Andy Reid’s direction, the Eagles
have had a 13-0 record following a bye week. Today that perfect record was
broken. Could the blustery winds and the rainy condition put a dink on the
Falcons perfect season? Could the bad weather give the Eagles an edge knowing
that the Falcons play their home games in a dome? Would the running game be
utilized more?
At the start of the game, the Falcons got the ball first and
they had a long nine minute drive to start the game. The Falcons got a little help
from the Eagles in which Jason Babin had a costly penalty that would have had
the Falcons to punt. Babin got called for holding which is an automatic first
down and kept the Falcons first drive alive. The Eagles bit on the screen pass
that was intended for Julio Jones and forgot all about Drew Davis, who was
replacing the injured Harry Douglas at wide receiver, as he scored on a 15 yard
wide open touchdown pass thrown by Matt Ryan. The Eagles got the ball on
offense only once in the first quarter and they had a three-and-out possession.
The Eagles punt the ball and gave the Falcons good field position at their own
49 yard line. It seemed like the Eagles were getting stops on defense, but they
could not stop the Falcons on third down plays and would commit costly
penalties. On the Falcons second drive, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie committed
two pass interference penalties that were costly and would eventually lead to a
Falcons touchdown on a shovel pass from Ryan to Jason Snelling to make it 14-0.
It seemed like the Eagles were getting into a rhythm in the
second quarter. They cut the lead to 14-7 on a LeSean McCoy 2 yard touchdown
run. That didn’t help much when the Falcons on their first drive in the second
quarter had a quick three play drive that resulted in a 63 yard touchdown pass
by Ryan to Julio Jones to make it 21-7. The Eagles didn’t generate much on
offense after that Falcons score. To end the half, the Falcons tacked on a
field goal from 43 yards by Matt Bryant to make it 24-7.
When the third quarter started, the Eagles opened with a
good drive that eventually led to a field goal from 33 yards by Alex Henery to
make it 24-10. The big play on that drive came on a 32 yard reception from
DeSean Jackson. After that field goal by the Eagles, the Falcons tacked on
another field goal on their first drive of the quarter, this time from 29 yards
to make it 27-10. The big play on that drive came from Julio Jones on a 37 yard
reception. Also on that drive the Eagles finally recorded a sack by Cedric
Thornton. It was the Eagles first sack since week 3.
The Falcons first drive in the fourth quarter was a long
drive that resulted once again in a field goal from 30 yards to make it 30-10.
The big play in that drive was a 43 yard run by Jacquizz Rodgers that put the
Falcons in field goal range. The Eagles had close to an eight minute drive that
resulted in a LeSean McCoy seven yard touchdown reception thrown by Michael
Vick to make the score and ultimately the final score 30-17. The Eagles were
making stops on the Falcons offense late in the quarter causing them to have
two three-and-out drives, but it was too late and the Eagles did not execute on
offense from those defensive stops.
In conclusion to what I said at the top of this entry, the
weather seemed to have no ill effect on the Falcons and they utilized the
running game a lot more than the Eagles did. As Andy Reid said after the game,
it was an “embarrassing performance” by the Eagles.
I ask you all this, is the Eagles season finished? How long
will the Falcons keep their perfect season? Sound off and stay tuned to my next
Eagles entry when they play the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
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