Game Time: Jan. 23, 3:00 ET, FOX
Having been in the NFC championship game four years in a row now, the Philadelphia Eagles definitely have the edge in experience. But they also have the experience of going home empty handed in each of the last three, and the Atlanta Falcons hope to keep that streak alive on Sunday.
Look for the Falcons, who racked up more than 300 yards on the ground against the Rams last week, to come out running to take some of the pressure off QB Michael Vick and capitalize on the Eagles lack of ideal size on the defensive line. The Eagles will most likely counter by playing eight, and sometimes nine men in the box and crowd the line of scrimmage on defense. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will also use either a linebacker or safety to mirror the dangerous Vick.
With the loss of Terrell Owens, much of the focus has been on the Eagles offense, but their defense has been playing at a high level behind the strong play of MLB Jeremiah Trotter and DE Jevon Kearse. They also have three All-Pros in their secondary and should have a decisive advantage over Atlanta receivers Peerless Price and Dez White.
Cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are talented and physical enough to handle Price and White with little help, which will allow Philadelphia to stack the box against the Falcons offense. Look for Johnson to play a lot of guys around the line of scrimmage, and frequently blitz from the outside to force Vick to step up in the pocket and make plays down the field with his arm. If the Eagles stay disciplined, they should be able to contain the Falcons’ ground game, and maybe they can get Vick to put a couple balls up for grabs.
The Eagles will try to keep RB Brian Westbrook involved in the passing attack, but they must establish some success on the ground to neutralize the pass-rushing abilities of the Falcons’ front four. Atlanta plays an attacking one-gap style of defense that not only puts pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the passing game, but disrupts running backs before they have a chance to get to the line of scrimmage.
In a game like this, a quarterback like Donovan McNabb, who can buy time with his feet, is invaluable. The Eagles will throw a lot of short, quick patterns to slow down that pass rush, but it’s a nice luxury to have a signal caller who can avoid the rush when his receivers fail to get open or when the offense decides to take a shot a little deeper down the field.
Prediction:
With the advantage Philadelphia’s secondary has over the Falcons receivers, Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett won’t have space to run like they had last week against the Rams… and more importantly, neither will Vick. I expect the Falcons defense to put together an aggressive game plan as well, but experience wins out in a hard fought battle that should come down to a field goal or less. Final score: Philadelphia 20, Atlanta 17
