Atlanta Falcons: 3 Bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Eagles
By Derek Snyder
3. The Falcons will sack Nick Foles, at least, three times
In last year’s NFC Playoffs, Philadelphia dominated the line of scrimmage, as the Falcons were only able to sack quarterback Nick Foles once. While the veteran quarterback did do one heck of a job avoiding the Atlanta pass rush, the Dirty Birds were clearly overmatched against a tough Eagles offensive line; thus, giving Foles more than enough time to get the football downfield.
Fast forward to 2018, I don’t believe the Eagles will have the same success against the Falcons defensive line.
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For whatever reason, the Falcons decided to move Vic Beasley to outside linebacker last season, instead of letting him compete as a pass-rushing defensive end. Not only did that decision hurt Atlanta’s pass-rush, it was clearly the wrong decision. Thankfully for Beasley and the Falcons, the Atlanta coaching staff has moved him back to defensive end indefinitely.
When you add Beasley into the mix with Takk Mckinley, Jack Crawford, and Grady Jarrett — you get a handful of playmakers who can put some serious pressure on the quarterback. If these guys can get some penetration early in the football game, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them rack up, at least, three sacks before the end of the evening.