Before we get to the breakdown of Sunday's game, who would've thought, that we would be in late October heading into November and the Eagles would be playing second fiddle to the Phillies in the city of Philadelphia.
But lets get down to business shall we? So Matt Ryan leads the Atlanta Falcons into Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday for a very crucial NFC battle. Both teams are coming off byes and each went into their bye with very intense, hard fought victories.
The Falcons pulled off the near impossible two weeks ago, following a 20-yard touchdown pass from Bears QB Kyle Orton to Rasheed Davis with only 11-seconds left, all hope was about lost for Matt Ryan and company.
But with six-seconds left, Ryan took advantage of the soft Bears coverage and fired a strike to Michael Jenkins, who was pushed out of bounds with only one-second left and in field goal range. Jason Elam proceeded to nail a 49-yard field goal as time expired, shocking the Bears and improving the Falcons record to 4-2.
As for the Eagles, their win was slightly more frustrating. Philadelphia played lifeless football for three quarters as San Fransisco held a 26-17 lead heading into the final frame.
All of a sudden, there was life, the offense moved with urgency and moved the ball with ease, the defense swarmed the football and forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter. In the end the Eagles scored 23 points in the final quarter to stun the 49ers who had played so well for three quarters.
This Sunday's game presents a huge opportunity for both teams in terms of division standing. The Eagles have been lucky enough that the NFC East has struggled these past two weeks as losses by all three teams in week six and Dallas getting embarrassed in week seven has allowed the Eagles to hang around as there is still a sliver of hope that the Eagles could win another division championship, but that road is long and hard, and it all begins this Sunday with the surprise team of the year in Atlanta.
With a win, Atlanta could move closer to their division foes in the very competitive NFC South.
This game against Philadelphia is just another obstacle for impressive rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan has shown great poise and leadership in his first year but faces an Eagles pass rush that just loves facing rookie quarterbacks, you can be sure that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will turn up the heat on the young stud.
First year head coach Mike Smith has done a great job handling his franchise Quarterback thus far, not putting too much of the load on the rookie's shoulders and making sure he has the tools around him to have success.
One of those weapons, receiver Roddy White, will need to be a factor in the passing game for Atlanta to have success. Ryan's targets are pretty limited in depth, so White will need a big day against Asante Samuel.
Workhorse Michael " The Burner" Turner will most likely carry the load for Mike Smith's troops on Sunday. Philadelphia's run defense has struggled for the past two games against elite backs which is music to Turners ears right now.
The offensive line of the Falcons sure has its work cut out for them as they will be going head-to-head with one of the fiercest pass rushes in the entire league. They will need out-smar Jim Johnson as he likes to disguise his blitz packages and sometimes will bring everything including the kitchen sink. If the Offensive line does its job on Sunday, it could be a long day in Philadelphia.
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