5 Adjustments Philadelphia Eagles Must Make in Week 2 Matchup with Cowboys

You can give the Philadelphia Eagles a bit of a mulligan for coming out flat in their regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Eagles were on the road. They had to prepare for a brand-new coaching staff. Their quarterback hadn't played in a meaningful NFL game in nearly two years. Their defense was going against one of the best passing attacks in the league. These things happen.

Having said that, if the Eagles don't correct the following issues by Sunday, they're going to fall to 0-2 with a loss to the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. And while it's still very early in the season, that is a hole from which they do not want to have to crawl out.

Correct these problems, and a loss to the Cowboys can be avoided. Otherwise, the Eagles will be facing an uphill battle just to reach the postseason.

Get the Ground Attack Going

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DeMarco Murray carried eight times for nine yards in Monday's loss to the Falcons. Ryan Mathews rushed three times for four yards and was stuffed on a key 3rd-and-1 in the fourth quarter. These numbers and results are unacceptable.

The one positive is that Murray and Mathews were both able to punch the ball in for six when the Eagles offense got into the red zone. Otherwise, it was a miserable night on the ground, one that cannot be duplicated if this team is going to turn things around.

The backs probably aren't to blame, either. This is on the offensive line, which got pushed around by Atlanta's defensive front and took way too many penalties.

The unit was particularly porous up the middle, specifically at the two guard spots, where Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner took over as the starters. The Eagles need to get these guys going in the right direction, and fast.

More Downfield Passing

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The good news is that Sam Bradford shook off the rust in the second half against the Falcons and wound up having a great game. His final numbers weren't all that impressive (36/52, 336 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT), but Bradford completed 84.0 percent of his passes for 8.8 yards per attempt in the third and fourth quarters.

The only real issue was Bradford's inability to push the ball down the field. His longest pass in the game only went for 25 yards, and he didn't complete an attempt over 20 yards in the contest—and this was against a vulnerable Atlanta secondary.

To Bradford's credit, the offense racked up 21 points in the second half and moved into position for the go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter. That's the objective. However, Bradford has a reputation for throwing too many checkdowns, and the Eagles offense has a reputation for always having a man open downfield.

Taking a shot once in a while would be a welcome change this week.

Get the Wide Receivers Involved

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Another issue the Eagles had on Monday was getting the ball to their wide receivers. Other than Jordan Matthews, who primarily works out of the slot, Philly wideouts combined for eight receptions and 71 yards—a meager 8.9 average. Again, this was against an Atlanta defense lacking talent on the outside.

Granted, the Eagles don't have the greatest crop of wide receivers in the world. Riley Cooper made a career out of three good games. Miles Austin is three years removed from his last Pro Bowl season. Josh Huff has talent but is unproven. Nelson Agholor is a rookie.

Still, the offense can't rely purely on Matthews and Darren Sproles every week. Those other guys need to be more involved, and in a bigger way. Otherwise, defenses are going to home in on two players, and the Eagles drives will stall.

Get More Pressure on the Quarterback

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Credit the Falcons for knowing how to counter both the Eagles' ferocious pass-rush and their own porous offensive line.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan used max-protect packages most of the game, which easily stymied Philadelphia's four-man fronts. In result, quarterback Matt Ryan had plenty of time to find superstar wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White.

Simply put, the Eagles cannot allow that to happen.

Once defensive coordinator Bill Davis started dialing up the pressure and sending more blitzes, the rush was able to get to Ryan or at least make him uncomfortable in the pocket, and Atlanta's offense began to settle for more punts and field goals or even turn the football over.

Pressure on the quarterback is the key to defensive football in the NFL, and whether the opponent is in max protect or not, the pass rush has to get there. If Tony Romo has the kind of time Ryan did for most of Monday night, the Cowboys signal-caller will carve up the Eagles secondary, too—even without Pro Bowl wideout Dez Bryant.

Cut Down on Penalties

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Simply put, the Eagles were penalized far too often on Monday night. In all, the Falcons accepted 10 penalties on Philadelphia for 88 yards, and that isn't counting what was declined.

The downfalls require no explanation. Penalties put the offense in long down-and-distances, which stall drives. They award opponents automatic first downs and erase big plays for the defense. In a league like the NFL, where there's so much parity, you simply can't afford to make it easy on the other team.

The Eagles have to cut down the sloppiness that plagued them for 60 minutes on Monday night. If they don't, the reigning NFC East champion Cowboys are going to move to 2-0 and take an early stranglehold on the division crown.