The Eagles take on the Falcons later tonight in a Primetime spot. on the road and against a hungry team that was humiliated by the Vikings in week 1, this will be no walk in the park.
Of course, we have the obvious questions heading into the game like:
- Will Carson Wentz play like he did in the 2nd half vs Washington?
- Can the defensive backs cover Julio, Ridley, and Sanu?
- Will Miles Sanders and Howard see more carries in week 2?
However, after week 1, there are some players who proved they can be sneaky important to success against Atlanta..
1. Seumalo continue to make left guard a strength?
After competing with Chance Warmack and Stefen Wisniewski, Seumalo is finally the undisputed starter at LG going into his 4th year.
With Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce, and Jason Peters, the left guard position has been the black sheep on the OL for years.
On Sunday, that changed.
In the run game, he transitioned very well between combo blocking with Kelce and then moving to the second level, getting on LBs with good balance:
More importantly, he was even better in pass protection, earning an impressive pass-block grade of 72.4. He had good, powerful initial contact on big DTs and kept his feet moving nicely:
Against a fast, but more skinny Atlanta defense, Seumalo could prove to be a valuable part in keeping Wentz clean and punish on run plays.
Let’s not forget how important Grady Jarrett is to Atlanta’s front four. If Seumalo can get the push up-front that he did last week, the run game will be more successful if the Eagles do try and force the ball up the gut.
2. Will Dallas Goedert keep blocking like an all-pro?
At first glance, it didn’t seem like he was a big part of the gameplan against Washington. On a second look, Goedert made a terrific difference in the run game, taking on big DTs and even NTs, and abused both ILB and OLBs.
On one play, he seals off DT Da’Ron Payne on an outside zone, only to finish off NT Tim Settle at the end:
Against Atlanta, he will more likely be asked to block faster guys like McKinley, Adrian Clayborn, and Vic Beasley, who compare more to what he saw against Ryan Anderson and Ryan Kerrigan against Redskins:
He earned an elite run-blocking grade of 82.8.
We could see a receiving emergence from Goedert this week, but even if we don’t keep your eyes peeled on the SDSU product moving bulk down in the trenches and paving the way for the run.
3. Can Barnett step up his game and disrupt Matt Ryan?
It was an emotional roller coaster for me watching Barnett play on Sunday. At one point I was screaming at him (and the DL in general) to create some pressure. The next, I was pumped about him hustling to make tackles on the other side of the field on zone runs, only to scream again as went offside on a spike to hand a field goal to Redskins.
Barnett led the league in QB hits with 3, albeit receiving a terrible score of 58.5 in pass rush, and finished 50th in pass-rush productivity. He also led the NFL in QB hurries.
It was his first game back from season-ending shoulder surgery and conclusively he looked decent. Some mistakes, some good, and some bad.
He needs a good game against a struggling Jake Matthews to boost his confidence and get the 2019 season off to a good start. Matt Ryan was sacked 4 times last week and 42 times last season. The Eagles can’t allow him to be comfortable in the pocket and Barnett will play a big role in ensuring that the time to get the ball out is minimal.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
