5 Things the Philadelphia Eagles Can Build on in Week 2

The Philadelphia Eagles were in the spotlight all off-season. An anti-climactic interception in the end zone against Green Bay ended their playoffs early and sent the Packers on their way to Super Bowl glory, while the Eagles were forced to turn towards next season. 

They drafted well, adding to areas in which they were lacking and reinforcing the youth movement. And then free agency came.

Landing free agent defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin was a great move to shore up a line lacking identity beyond Trent Cole. Nnamdi Asomugha, the premier free agent on the market, joined in a shock move that surprised even the 21st century media with its social networking and constant breaking news.

Their opening victory against the Rams was the first step in a 20-game journey to the Super Bowl and the realisation of their efforts. In this article I suggest five areas they can build on from that game against Vick's old team, the Atlanta Falcons. 

1. Get Jeremy Maclin Involved

Last week: 1 catch, 20 yards

Philadelphia play best when they can get everyone involved. Second-year Jeremy Maclin had a more eventful offseason than most due to his illness saga, but he’s now match-fit and capable of stepping up. 

Targeted only three times against St. Louis, Maclin’s opportunities came from the D being preoccupied with the big play ability of DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick. 

He can change games himself, but a constant supply of balls whenever he’s open will keep the Eagles moving and get Vick in rhythm early, which can only be a good thing.

2. Save Shady for the Fourth Quarter

Last week: 15 carries, 122 yards and one TD, two catches, 15 yards and one TD

LeSean McCoy is one of the fastest-rising running backs in the NFL. Like his predecessor Brian Westbrook he’s lethal both in the pass and run games and is a fantasy monster. 

However, his game-breaking ability should be utilised sparingly. He’ll bear the load of a large portion of the Eagles rushing attack but he shouldn’t be worn down. Last week, McCoy struck in the fourth quarter with a scything 49-yard touchdown run and finished with over eight yards-per-carry on the day. 

Should the Eagles enter the final quarter of the game with a lead, McCoy can be trusted to wind down the clock behind an offensive line that looked revived in its first game together.

3. Keep the Offense on the Field

Last week: 8-13 on third downs

One interesting yet crucial statistic from last Sunday's game was the Eagles third down efficiency. They were 8-13 on 3rd downs, far above last year's league average of just below 40 percent.

A large part of this was the ability of the offensive line to keep quarterback Michael Vick upright. The Eagles protection was great for Vick against St. Louis, allowing him enough time to make plays and be himself. Two sacks were allowed through well-timed cornerback blitzes from the Rams secondary, which are hard to anticipate. 

It seems obvious to say that a starting QB needs time from his line, but with Vick being a work still in progress—beginning to read defenses and diagnose blitzes to better effect—this burgeoning line needs to build on its success from last week against a strong Falcons pass rush and keep Philadelphia going on third downs.

4. Keep Nnamdi Invisible

Last week: one catch allowed for 31 yards, one penalty for 41 yards

Similarly to the offensive line, you can tell when a corner is playing well because he rarely has any attention on him. Nnamdi Asomugha, shiniest of the free agent diamonds signed by Philadelphia, is a true shutdown corner and can almost cut the field in half.

Critics say that he has barely any interceptions, but that’s because he’s never targeted. In fact, he was only thrown at twice by the Rams, once on a great grab by former Eagles sixth-rounder Brandon Gibson and another which resulted an ugly, unnecessary PI call against Asomugha. It was a so-so debut for Nnamdi and he'll be keen to improve in his next game. 

He’ll be matched up on the right side against either Roddy White or Julio Jones and it’ll be interesting to see how little we hear Nnamdi’s name on the broadcast. If he’s barely mentioned he’ll be having a good game. 

5. Remember Last Year's Rush Defense

Last week: 335 total yards allowed, five sacks and one FF returned for a TD

The Eagles fought for a famous win last season against the Falcons in a game often heralded as Kevin Kolb’s breakout game of the season. Notably though, the Falcons’ wider-than-he-is-tall running back Michael Turner was held for only 45 yards on 15 carries. 

Steven Jackson exceeded that total on his embarrassing 47-yard rushing touchdown on the Rams first play from scrimmage. The Philadelphia linebackers over-committed and were caught up by blockers, allowing S-Jax a clear route to the end zone, something which new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will hate to see again. 

Should the linebackers—anchored by rookie mid-round pick Casey Matthews, the defensive line shored up by the addition of Cullen Jenkins and top-tier run-stopper Trent Cole—prevent a repeat of that run and imitate last year’s performance, it could be a slow day for Michael Turner and the Falcons rushing attack, forcing Matt Ryan to put the ball in the air against the strong Eagles secondary.

In Conclusion

The 31-13 win against the Rams was a good starting point for the Eagles, proving they can win on the road against difficult teams. 

Again on the road against the more formidable Falcons this weekend, who themselves are fresh off a surprisingly flat performance against the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia must keep on building on their successes and trying to improve on areas in which they were lacking.

Atlanta are strong contenders to go all the way and they'll be keen to prove to both themselves and the country that the Bears game isn't how they want to be portrayed this season. 

It'll be a match dominated by the storyline of Michael Vick's return to the Georgia Dome, but for the other 91 active players there'll be match-ups and and battles worth just as much attention.

Follow Charlie Lindlar on Twitter at @charlielindlar