Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons | The Eagles Are In The Hunt

The Philadelphia Eagles remained undefeated at home and improved to 5-4 overall, establishing themselves in the thick of the NFC wild card race.

Much-maligned play-caller Doug Pederson coached a great game. Struggling rookie QB Carson Wentz played mistake-free football. The defense–self-proclaimed one of the greatest units in the league–shut down the league’s top offense.

And goodness, the offensive line had itself a day.

The good:

The Eagles stifled the red-hot Falcons on the back of a 108 yard, 2 TD performance by RB Ryan Mathews. That’s the first time an Eagle back has done that since LeSean McCoy did that against Washington in 2013.

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Mathews had been invisible over the past couple of games, prompting questions about who exactly was the lead back in the Eagles’ offense. Right after proudly proclaiming that Darren Sproles was the likely #1, Doug Pederson fed Ryan Mathews the ball 19 times, and Wentz found him for 2 receptions and 30 yards. Rookie RB Wendell Smallwood contributed a career-best 13 totes for 70 yards, while Sproles posted a much more familiar stat line: 8 receptions, 57 yards.

Fantasy owners might not have enjoyed it, but we certainly did.

The Eagles’ 208 total rushing yards were the most in a single game this season, and the credit truly belongs to the offensive line. C Jason Kelce, having received deserved flak for his performance this year, showed his extraordinary athleticism on numerous pull blocks. Back-up journeyman OG Stefen Wisniewski proved himself again a fantastic pick-up, filling in effortlessly for the sidelined LG Allen Barbre. RG Brandon Brooks and LT Jason Peters continued their excellent seasons, but the rookie, RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, impressed the most.

Now, the stat line wasn’t pretty. OLB Vic Beasley had two sacks, one of which was Wentz’s fault, not getting rid of the ball on a scramble. On the other, Vaitai kicked out well, but Beasley has top-end bend and speed on the edge, and made a fantastic play. Besides that sack, on which Vaitai needs to get square faster, he stonewalled the premier edge-rusher and paved the road in the running game. The Eagles gave him significantly less help than in previous games, and he responded appropriately. He improves every week.

Wentz played some good football, posting a familiar stat line for Doug Pederson’s offense: 25/36, 231 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. He moved well in the pocket, never threw a dangerous pass, and managed the game–that was all Doug asked of him.

The great:

Credit Doug Pederson and his staff for a sublime game plan. The Eagles began the game with a 7:14 TD drive, and opened the second half with a pair of FG drives, lasting 6:44 and 5:56. They possessed the ball for 38:10, and for those of you playing at home, that left only 21:50 for the #1 Falcons’ offense.

And the defense did the rest.

QB Matt Ryan came into this game with a completion percentage of 69.6 on the year, averaging 331 yards per game. His stat line today? 18/33, 267 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. A completion percentage was only 54%.

The Eagles’ pass rush came to play today. The return of DT Bennie Logan had the predicted effect, opening up room for struggling DT Fletcher Cox. Both players consistently provided inside push, against the run and the pass. Cox’s pressure was integral on DE Brandon Graham‘s sack, while Graham’s pressure led to DE Connor Barwin‘s sack. Barwin now joins Graham and Cox with a team-leading 4 sacks apiece.

On the back-end, the Eagles’ secondary pulled through today in an admirable way. CB Jalen Mills, given the start over the hamstring-hampered CB Leodis McKelvin, never got burnt by All-Pro WR Julio Jones. CB Nolan Carroll, always a competitor, played a fantastic game on Jones before leaving late in the second with a concussion. Every Philadelphia Eagles fan cursed McKelvin’s name as WR Taylor Gabriel embarrassed him on a double move for a 76-yard TD, giving Atlanta their first lead of the game early in the fourth. He dropped an interception on a potential game-winning drive. He did not play well.

But redemption came when he iced the Falcons’ comeback attempt, picking off Matt Ryan with 1:33 to go.

Also great today? RB Kenjon Barner. Tasked with kickoff returns exclusively, the fan-favorite speedster averaged 38 yards a return. In particular, after Gabriel’s touchdown and Atlanta’s first lead, Barner brought the ensuing kickoff back for 52 yards to the Falcons’ 45. Down by 2, putting his team 10 yards out of field goal range? Huge.

The Eagles came into the league with the best average starting field position (32.0). That did not change today.

The ugly:

Not much to report. K Caleb Sturgis uncharacteristically missed two FGs: 44 and 55 yards. He did, however, hit a crucial 48-yarder under pressure.

Shockingly, WR Nelson Agholor dropped a 3rd-down ball, which could have been better placed, as almost every single pass in history could be. Why Agholor was in the game on a crucial 3rd down with 4:01 left–and why he was targeted–is beyond any of our comprehension. #InDougWeTrust

WR Dorial Green-Beckham didn’t see a target. On one possession, he didn’t even play in the red zone. Nelly “Hands” Agholor did.

WR Bryce Treggs didn’t see a target, either. However, the Falcons’ secondary had great respect for his deep speed, which opened up the middle of the field for WR Jordan Matthews and TE Zach Ertz, both of whom had solid days…

But, because they’re either an Eagle receiver or Zach Ertz, they had to do something mind-numbing.

Ertz had three false starts on the day. Jordan Matthews dropped a pass–yes, could better placement, we know–that would have put the Eagles’ in prime field goal position. He made up for it later by getting absolutely speared by S Keanu Neal without a call. Take a look:

Matthews ended this play with a bent facemask, a bloodied lip, and no flag. Looking forward to Keanu Neal getting fined. An ugly missed call for a safety-oriented league.

Game MVP:

S Malcolm Jenkins, baby. Ryan Mathews had a flashier stat line, but the heart and soul of the Eagles’ defense had a fantastic day as well, with a team-leading 8 tackles, 1 of which went for a loss. He had nice coverage on WR Julio Jones on the Falcons’ failed 4th down attempt late in the game, and covered WR Mohamed Sanu out of the slot for a good portion of the game. No easy task, but Sanu only grabbed 2 balls for 14 yards. The most impressive? On three 3rd downs, Malcolm Jenkins allowed a completion. All 3 times, he made the tackle in front of the sticks.

Looking forward:

Don’t look now (but it says ‘looking forward’!), but the Philadelphia Eagles are in the thick of the NFC wild card race–and are by no means out of the race for the NFC East, either. The Cowboys have faced the easiest schedule in the NFL so far, but it gets trickier. Every team they face from here on out has a positive record–save for the Buccaneers–and they meet the Eagles in Philly on Week 17.

Elsewhere, the Packers and the Saints both lost this week, moving them down to 4-5. The Vikings are 5-4, but the Eagles own the head-to-head there. The Giants and the Redskins also stand before the Eagles, with 5-3 and 5-3-1 records, respectively. They, however, both face the Eagles in the future. In Philly.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Section 215 Staff Predictions Week Ten

With a 4-0 home record, the Philadelphia Eagles have shown that they defend Lincoln Financial well, and their three remaining division games are all there, as well as a fourth in two weeks against a struggling Packers team. If the Eagles intend on making a playoff push, the Eagles must continue to win at home.

Next week: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks, 3:25 on CBS.

Seattle will be coming off of a Sunday night game in New England.