• WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles — Over 5.5 receptions: Without All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown in this matchup, the Eagles' offense will look to spread his vacated targets around, a workload that accounted for 33% of the team’s Week 1 targets. Alongside Brown last week, Smith hauled in seven of his eight targets, five of which converted first downs.
• WR Jahan Dotson, Philadelphia Eagles — Over 29.5 rushing/receiving yards: Despite a lackluster season-opener in which he was held catchless on just a single target, Dotson will be a prominent part of the lineup with A.J. Brown out due to injury.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Atlanta Falcons vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-5.5) [Total: 46]
Game Overview
The Eagles return to Philadelphia after claiming victory in Brazil, taking down the Packers in what was classified as a home game played more than 4,500 miles away from Lincoln Financial Field.
Philadelphia managed to overcome a slow start despite some execution issues and poor field conditions. That is a credit to their explosive passing game, which finished in the top seven in expected points added per pass play on the week behind monster outings from receivers A.J. Brown (ninth in PFF receiving grade) and DeVonta Smith (sixth).
JALEN HURTS 🚀 A.J. BROWN
pic.twitter.com/XK6e7s3HBE— PFF (@PFF) September 7, 2024
Along with Brown and Smith, running back Saquon Barkley also left his mark on Week 1, amassing a trio of scores and four explosive rushes and receptions in his Eagles debut.
Conversely, the Falcons weren’t able to overcome self-inflicted wounds and ultimately fell short, dropping a game at home in which they were favored by four points.
Despite holding Pittsburgh out of the end zone for the full 60 minutes, the Falcons failed to capitalize offensively. Zac Robinson’s unit stumbled at almost every turn and finished the week as the 27th-ranked offense in EPA per play.
New Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looked fairly uncomfortable in the pocket in his return from Achilles surgery, resulting in a pair of ugly interceptions. Cousins finished the night with a troubling 42.0 PFF passing grade.
The glaring disproportionate usage stats made the rounds following this game, detailing the Falcons' tells and trends in the run game. This offense can’t function as a one-dimensional unit that tips its running downs to defenses solely based on alignment. If Atlanta is to find redemption this week, it starts with adjusting their approach on the ground to highlight talented workhouse back Bijan Robinson.
WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles: Over 5.5 Receptions (-137) — 1.7% PFF Greenline Edge
With the late-week development that Eagles receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) will miss this matchup, the value of the rest of the receiving corps should receive a solid boost.
Without the All-Pro on the field, this offense will look to spread his vacated targets around, a workload that accounted for 33% of the team’s Week 1 targets. Alongside Brown last week, Smith hauled in seven of his eight targets, five of which converted first downs.
Stepping into the role of the Eagles' top target-earner this week will net Smith a matchup with Atlanta cornerback AJ Terrell, who struggled to hold down Steelers receiver George Pickens in Week 1, surrendering three receptions into his coverage for 61 yards on his way to 52.7 PFF coverage grade.
WR Jahan Dotson, Philadelphia Eagles: Over 29.5 Rushing/Receiving yards (-116) — 5.9% PFF Greenline Edge
Using the same logic, new Eagles receiver Jahan Dotson will also undoubtedly see a boost. Despite a lackluster season-opener in which he was held catchless on just a single target, Dotson should be a prominent part of the lineup with A.J. Brown out due to injury.
Dotson will cross paths with Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes, who didn’t see a ton of traffic this past week, having transitioned primarily to playing the outside. Even still, Hughes has struggled since joining the Falcons, surrendering a 94.3 passer rating into his coverage in 2023.
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