© Copyright 不及格社區
The Atlanta Falcons take on the Philadelphia Eagles tonight in the NFL’s 2018 season opener. It’s very exciting stuff Authentic Julio Jones Jersey , and needless to say, I am hyped. Before we get into the hype-fest, however, we should take a closer look at the finer points of this early-season playoff rematch.The Falcons and Eagles were very closely matched back in 2017, with the Eagles eking out a narrow 15-10 victory in the divisional round. Both teams have reloaded with young players, but the Falcons come into the game with a distinct health advantage against the defending Super Bowl champions. Let’s take a closer look at how these teams compare statistically heading into Thursday night.To clarify, all these stats are taken from the NFL’s 2017 regular season statistics. After tonight’s game, we’ll be switching to 2018 regular season statistics. So, this is the last time you’ll have to look at these old numbers! Huzzah!OFFENSEStatisticFalconsEaglesStatisticFalconsEaglesThe Falcons offense was good in 2017, but they underachieved significantly based on their efficiency numbers. Hopefully, with a shiny new WR3 in Calvin Ridley and another year of experience for Steve Sarkisian, they can improve. The Falcons were merely 15th in scoring, but 8th in total yardage and 3rd in yards per play. In the passing game, Atlanta was 8th in yardage, T-4th in yards per attempt, and T-20th in passing TDs. On the ground, the Falcons were 13th in yardage, T-7th in yards per carry, and T-15th in rushing TDs. The team was best in the league on third down with a 45% conversion rate, but a poor turnover margin (-2, 19th) held them back all season.Philadelphia looked like the NFL’s best offense at times with Carson Wentz in the lineup, but fell off somewhat after Nick Foles came in. We know they rallied in the playoffs, but it’s still unclear just how effective they’ll be without Wentz in 2018. In 2017, the Eagles were 3rd in scoring, 7th in total yardage, and 10th in yards per play. Through the air, Philadelphia was 13th in yardage, T-14th in yards per attempt, and 1st in passing TDs with a whopping 38. The Eagles were among the NFL’s best rushing attacks—3rd in yardage and T-3rd in yards per carry, but only T-24th in rushing TDs. Philadelphia was also good on third down, converting 42% of their attempts (8th). The team benefited from an excellent turnover margin in 2017, ending the season at +11 (4th).Advantage: PushDEFENSEStatisticFalconsEaglesStatisticFalconsEaglesThe Falcons defense, on the other hand, may have slightly overachieved based on their efficiency numbers in 2017. Atlanta held Philadelphia to only 15 points in the playoffs—hopefully, another performance like that would be enough to get a win on Thursday. The Falcons were 8th in scoring defense, 9th in total yards allowed Matt Ryan Jersey , and 13th in yards per play. Defending the pass, Atlanta was 12th in yardage, T-8th in yards per attempt, and T-12th in passing TDs allowed. Against the run, the Falcons were 9th in yardage, T-16th in yards per carry, and T-6th in rushing TDs allowed. Atlanta was about average at defending third downs, allowing a 38% conversion rate (16th. The Falcons also got to the QB at an above-average rate, with 39 sacks in 2017 (T-13th).Philadelphia has one of the NFL’s best defenses—particularly against the run—but that defense will be a bit shorthanded on Thursday night. Still, their numbers from 2017 were very impressive. The Eagles were 4th in scoring defense, 5th in total yardage allowed, and 9th in yards per play. Against the pass, Philadelphia was 17th in yardage, T-3rd in yards per attempt, and T-18th in passing TDs allowed. On the ground, the Eagles were 1st in yardage, T-6th in yards per carry, and T-3rd in rushing TDs allowed. Philadelphia was one of the NFL’s best third down defenses, allowing only 32% of attempts to be converted (3rd). The Eagles were about average at generating sacks, with 38 on the year (T-15th).Advantage: EaglesThe story, at least based on the statistics, is basically the same as it was in the Divisional round in 2017. Atlanta must find a way to stop the rushing attack of the Eagles, and force the ball into Nick Foles’ hands. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons need to score points early and often to put themselves into a positive game script—especially on the road against what is sure to be a raucous crowd.Of course, the stats never tell the full story, especially when all we have to go off of are last year’s numbers. These are two different teams that are likely to change somewhat in 2018. Atlanta has the advantage in health, where they get to face an Eagles’ defense that is down starting LB Nigel Bradham and DT Timmy Jeringan, with explosive EDGE Brandon Graham coming back on the field off of limited training camp reps. The Falcons also get to face the Philadelphia offense without WRs Alshon Jeffery and Mack Hollins—two of the team’s top 4 targets.Expect the Eagles and Falcons to both target each other’s weaknesses. Philly is likely to roll out a lot of 12 and 22 sets to force the Falcons to play base defense and get LB Duke Riley on the field. Atlanta is likely to do the same, forcing the Eagles to use inexperienced LBs like Nick Gerry and Kamu Grugier-Hill. Whoever is able to take advantage of these match-ups is likely to come away with the victory. Based on external factors, the Falcons have the advantage. Based on the stats alone, however, the edge still goes to the Eagles.Overall Advantage: EaglesWhat are your thoughts on this playoff rematch? How big of a difference will Philadelphia’s injuries make in this game? Do you expect the Falcons to come away with a win tonight? Joe Mixon scored on a 4-yard run and dashed toward the stands in celebration of Cincinnati's go-ahead touchdown. On the Steelers sideline, Ben Roethlisberger looked at the clock, saw there was 1:18 left, and told his linemen not to fret."They gave us too much time," Big Ben said confidently.Somehow http://www.authenticsatlantafalcons.com/cheap-matt-bosher-jersey , the Steelers never run out of time at Paul Brown Stadium.Antonio Brown turned a short catch into a 31-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left Sunday, sending the Steelers to a 28-21 victory over the Bengals. They've now won seven straight against Cincinnati, a streak that includes highly improbable — and totally predictable — wins.The Steelers (3-2-1) sure saw it coming."On the sideline before I went out, I told the guys, 'This is what legacies are made of for all of us. Let's go take care of business,'" Roethlisberger said.On the decisive play, Roethlisberger saw the Bengals (4-2) were set for an all-out blitz with no safeties guarding the end zone. He knew it would be a touchdown if he got the ball quickly to Brown, who caught it in stride, cut behind Justin Hunter's block and ran untouched to the end zone."We've been in that situation a lot, and I knew we were going to do it," said Brown, who had five catches for 105 yards.During their seven-game winning streak, the Steelers have pulled them out at Paul Brown Stadium with 14 seconds, no seconds, and 10 seconds to go.They rallied to win a first-round playoff game in 2015 — aided by Vontaze Burfict hitting Brown in the head for a costly penalty — on Chris Boswell's field goal with 14 seconds left. Last December, they overcame a 17-point deficit and won on Boswell's field goal as time ran out.Now, this stunner."We're better than them," Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick insisted. "They're not better than us."The statistics say otherwise. The Steelers have won 10 of 11 and 15 of 18 in the lopsided series.Some takeaways from Paul Brown Stadium:IT'S A RACEThe Bengals got an early cushion in the division by knocking off the Ravens and opening 4-1, their best start since they won the division in 2015. The Steelers got off to a ragged start at 1-2-1, but back-to-back wins over the Falcons and Bengals have evened up the division. The Bengals finish the season at Heinz Field.SHOCKING NUMBERSThe Steelers are 16-2 at Paul Brown Stadium during Marvin Lewis' 16 seasons as the Bengals' head coach, including playoff victories in 2005 and 2015. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 20-5 against the Bengals. Andy Dalton is 3-12 against the Steelers, missing that 2015 playoff meltdown with a broken thumb.CONNER'S HISTORYJames Conner ran for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns, his second straight 100-yard game. Conner joined Hall of Famers Franco Harris (1976) and Jerome Bettis (2004) as the only Steelers to run for seven touchdowns in the first six games of a season, excelling as Le'Veon Bell's replacement. Bell reportedly will end his holdout this week during Pittsburgh's bye."What a great game," Roethlisberger said. "Now I know it's his last game for us, so we're glad he did well in his last one."Roethlisberger laughed, clarifying that he was going entirely off media reports and speculation about what happens when Bell returns.BLITZBURGHAfter getting shredded in September, the Steelers' defense has come around in the last two games. It got six sacks in a 41-17 win over the Falcons and sacked Dalton three times. Pittsburgh limited the Bengals to 123 yards in the second half.BURFICT REPRISEIn his second game back from his latest NFL suspension, Burfict was at the center of the riled-up rivalry. He exchanged words with Roethlisberger 3 minutes into the game. A teammate pushed him away from Conner to help the linebacker avoid a penalty after a touchdown run. In the third quarter, Burfict hit Brown in the head as he was being tackled, but avoided a penalty. The NFL will review the play. In the locker room after the game, Burfict yelled at a reporter who asked another Bengals player about the hit on Brown."A nasty hit," Brown said.
The Wall