Eagles vs. Falcons Week 2: Four Reasons for Eagles Fans to Be Concerned

There were many ups and downs from the Eagles vs. Falcons game, and the downs are what are concerning.

Despite the ability for the Eagles to move the ball effectively, Michael Vick left the game early with a concussion and the Eagles failed to hold onto their lead, losing in the Georgia Dome to the Atlanta Falcons, 35-31.

The Falcons are a good team and certainly deserve the victory, but this is a team that the Eagles should have beaten. The Eagles outplayed the Falcons for the vast majority of the game, and the loss is a disappointing one to swallow. 

Here are five reasons why Eagle fans should be concerned moving forward:

1. Michael Vick's Concussion

Vick now has a concussion and can be expected to miss at least one week. With that in mind, the Eagles will have to turn to either Vince Young or Mike Kafka to lead the team forward.

While both are solid backups for any team, it is clear that it is Vick who gives the Eagles the best chance to win and it is Vick who the Eagles want to lead the team deep into the postseason.

Losing Vick really hurts for the Eagles, and he could be out potentially even longer than a week if it is serious.

Let us hope Vick makes a speedy recovery and is back to lead the Eagles to more wins.

2. Mike Kafka Leading the Team

This is not a knock on Mike Kafka. The young quarterback played well and did his part to try and help lead the Eagles to a win in Vick's absence.

But Kafka is not the same player as Vick. Conversely, Kafka does not have good arm strength and is not quite as mobile. 

He was cool and calm in the pocket, and threw the ball accurately when given the chance. But Kafka will not be nearly as dangerous or explosive as this Eagles' offense will need him to be.

Luckily, the Eagles have a favorable schedule coming up.

3. Poor Run Defense

The Eagles' run defense is currently ranked among the very worse in the NFL. Despite the mild success the Eagles had stopping Michael Turner early on, they still allowed him to break out for big plays later in the game.

And those big plays would turn into great field position, allowing the Falcons to pull ahead of the Eagles and leave with a win.

This run defense must be greatly improved if the Eagles are serious about winning a championship. If they cannot stop any of the elite running backs of the NFL, then this team will be hard-pressed to realize its Super Bowl aspirations.

4. Missed Opportunities

There were too many mental mistakes during this game and the Eagles really should have been up higher and out of reach for Matt Ryan and Co. to come back.

From DeSean Jackson dropping a would-be touchdown, to Jeremy Maclin dropping the first down on 4th-and-4, there were too many mistakes for this Eagles' squad.

A Super Bowl team needs to not only be talented, but disciplined and mistake-free as well. And without that consistency, this Eagles' team will find itself hard-pressed to be among the best teams in the league.