Eagles vs. Falcons: What's the Game Plan for Philadelphia?

This year's debut of Monday Night Football starts with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons as the two teams face off at the Georgia Dome.

Philadelphia looks to continue on from their impressive three-win preseason campaign with a crop of newly acquired players. The Eagles will strive to improve on their 10-6 record from last year and try to take the division title back from the Dallas Cowboys.

Their opposition this week is coming into the game after having mixed results in the preseason, as the Falcons won two games and lost two games. Atlanta will be entering their first regular-season game with new head coach Dan Quinn. Former head coach Mike Smith was fired after the team finished third in the NFC South with six wins and 10 losses.

Atlanta will likely rebound from their poor season due to their offensive talent, but the transformation may take time. On the other side, Philadelphia brought in a lot of talented players, but they also shipped out a lot of key contributors, so it is yet to be seen if they actually improved their roster enough to win the division.

The Eagles saw a lot of changes on the offensive side of the ball, in particular with a new starting quarterback and running back, and the loss of their leading receiver from last year. Some of these changes may factor into their strategy against the Atlanta defense.

Offensive Game Plan

Chip Kelly and the Eagles are well known for their rate of play and ability to score in the blink of an eye. Last year, Philadelphia finished fifth in the league for total yards and third in total points scored, behind only the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.

Philadelphia operated well both through the air and on the ground last season, but look for the Eagles to try to throw the ball early and often against the Falcons on Monday night.

The Falcons enter the season with a new defensive-minded coach that has to try to fix the worst pass defense in the league, based on their performance last year. Atlanta gave up more ground through the air last year than any other team, at 4,478 yards surrendered. On the other side, Philadelphia threw for 4,356 yards last season.

One of the main issues for Atlanta was their lack of a pass rush, as they finished with the second-fewest sacks in the NFL last season with 22. Quinn tried to address this need by drafting Clemson's sack specialist Vic Beasley in the first round of this year's NFL draft, but the inexperienced player will be going against a talented and veteran Philadelphia offensive line.

One player that has every Eagles fan waiting in anticipation is new starting quarterback Sam Bradford. After arriving in Philadelphia from the Rams, the 27-year-old's stock has gone through the roof. In two brief preseason appearances Bradford completed 13 of his 15 passes and threw for three touchdowns.

Bradford's accuracy stuck out throughout the preseason, and not only because he threw only two incomplete passes. The Oklahoma product's ability to perfectly place his passes allowed his playmakers to catch the ball in stride and get the most out of every play. This precision placement was evident on this connection between Darren Sproles and Bradford against the the Green Bay Packers.

All eyes will be on Bradford Monday night as he makes his regular-season debut for Philadelphia. If Bradford can operate like he did in the preseason, this game will showcase one of the best passing attacks in the league against a defense that struggled mightily in that department last season.

Defensive Game Plan

Similar to Philadelphia, the Falcons have the ability to throw the ball effectively all over the field. Atlanta finished slightly above the Eagles last season with 4,553 total passing yards.

The Falcons will continue to rely on their passing attack this season without an established running back to lean on. Even though the Eagles know Atlanta will air the ball out, Matt Ryan has the ability to pick apart the defense with his duo of star receivers.

The main goal for Philadelphia will be to limit the big plays, and new defensive backs coach Cory Undlin came in this offseason with the goal to do just that.

"Adding Cory Undlin is really probably the biggest addition we had when you talk about upgrading that (defensive backs) room," safety Malcolm Jenkins told CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank. "The biggest thing is keeping the ball in front of us. It’s that simple. Football's not a complicated game. When you keep the ball in front of you as a secondary, nine times out of 10 you're going to win."

The Achilles heel of last year's secondary was letting up huge plays through the air because receivers got in behind the secondary. This inability to keep receivers in front of them was showcased in their loss to Arizona last season. Philadelphia looked likely to win until Josh Brown got in behind the defense and scored a 75-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals the lead with under two minutes remaining in the game.

With a new defensive backs coach and new personnel, this secondary looks drastically different from last season. The Eagles brought in the top cornerback in the market, Byron Maxwell, and also signed Walter Thurmond to play safety alongside Jenkins. The new secondary impressed during training camp and preseason, but they have yet to be truly tested.

Limiting the big play will help the Eagles become a bend-but-don't-break defense. The Eagles will allow small chunks of yards in hopes to then come up with a big play to end a drive. Byron Maxwell finished the preseason with one interception, and Thurmond finished with two. Plays like these will get the defense off the field and give the ball back to Philadelphia's talented offense.

Key Player and Matchup

Chip Kelly talked about Julio Jones' status as one of the elite receivers in the league earlier this week, but the Eagles also have to worry about the veteran Roddy White as well.

Maxwell will surely start in the first cornerback spot and match up against Jones the majority of the time. The other starter to play on the outside has yet to be named by the Eagles' coaching staff, and Nolan Carroll will likely play in the slot against Atlanta, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Zach Berman.

Carroll's positioning in the slot is not a major surprise after the cornerback saw some playing time in that role against the Green Bay Packers in the preseason. During that game, the rookie Eric Rowe occupied the outside spot. This could spell trouble for the Eagles, as the second-round pick got turned around a few times against both the Packers and Jets in the preseason. 

Heading into the first week of the season, either Rowe or E.J. Biggers will likely start at cornerback, and both could be in for a long day against the likes of Jones and White. Maxwell said he expects to play on one side of the field against Atlanta, according to Berman, so the second cornerback will have to face both of Atlanta's dangerous wide receivers.

Starting safety Thurmond commented on the challenge the Eagles secondary will have in covering dangerous receivers like White and Jones on Monday night. Both receivers are coming off impressive seasons where they also showed the ability to blow the top off a defense.

Name	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns	20+ Catches
Julio Jones	104	1593	6	31
Roddy White	80	921	7	14

“They have great wide receivers,” Thurmond said, according to the Philadelphia Tribune's Donal Hunt. “Both are All-Pro players. Julio is one of the top five receivers in this game. Roddy White has been doing it well for many years now. They have a great quarterback who can get them the ball. It’s going to be a good challenge for us out there. We have to go out there and get after it.”

Philadelphia received the reputation of having a porous secondary, and now the Eagles will have to work to improve and force teams to lean on their running game more. Their first major test will be against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Falcons 23

Monday night's duel between Philadelphia and the Falcons is lining up to be a high-scoring affair with two of most high-powered passing attacks going head-to-head in the first week of the regular season.

Bradford will look to establish an early rhythm and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Quinn has a tough task in turning this Atlanta defense around, but the players are buying in and seeing improvement.

"It's a work in progress," Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant said, according to ESPN.com. "But I like where we're going."

The problem for Atlanta is there is no time for them to ease into this game against Philadelphia. The Eagles will come out fast on Monday night and put this recently revamped defense under pressure early.

The Falcon's offensive production, similar to last year, will come down Ryan's ability to feed the ball to his two star receivers. Kelly commented earlier in the week on Jones' unique combination of speed and size.

“Usually, guys (with his size) don’t run as fast as Julio,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said, according to the Associated Press (h/t Delaware County Daily Times). “He’s a tough matchup just from a speed standpoint, but then when you add on that he’s 6'3", 220, it’s a tough deal. He’s got great range, outstanding hands, a very disciplined route runner.”

The Eagles revamped their secondary but still have questions at cornerback. Byron Maxwell will occupy the primary starting spot, but the other outside cornerback will be a liability heading into the first week.

The primary advantage Philadelphia contains over the Falcons is their ability to go with a balanced attack and be effective both in the air and on the ground. The Eagles brought in last year's leading rusher DeMarco Murray and veteran Ryan Mathews to add to the backfield with Sproles.

Philadelphia's three-headed monster will allow the Eagles offense to convert the tough third-down opportunities and keep Atlanta's defense honest. In addition, Kelly can use Murray and Mathews in the red zone to ground and pound the ball the last few yards into end zone.

Atlanta does not possess the luxury of a reliable running attack. The Falcons named rookie running back Tevin Coleman the starter, and he will be going against Philadelphia's talented front line and deep linebacker group. Without a viable ground attack, Atlanta will be forced to settle for field goals in the red zone as passing lanes get tighter in the final 20 yards.

Atlanta may not be as bad as their record indicated last season, but Philadelphia's stock is rising fast as the Eagles' new-look team works to take back the NFC East division title.