The Philadelphia Eagles will head to the Georgia Dome on Monday night to take on the Atlanta Falcons as both teams open their 2015 campaign. These two teams haven't met since 2012, but the Falcons have won each of the past two meetings.
There have been a lot of changes to both teams since last season, including a new head coach for the Falcons in former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn is tasked with taking over a team whose defense allowed the most passing yards per game; the Eagles allowed the second most. Despite all of the roster turnover, Quinn will inherit three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan, who is coming off an excellent season.
On Philadelphia's side, Chip Kelly is still the head coach, but he made a lot of changes. Gone are LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles and Jeremy Maclin, and their replacements are Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray and Nelson Agholor, respectively. Many people have questioned Kelly's moves, especially the Bradford trade, as he is a major injury risk, but Kelly is in full control of the team and these moves have a chance to pay major dividends for the Eagles.
The Eagles defense wasn't very good last year, but they have made some key additions, including cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso. Linebacker DeMeco Ryans will also be back from a major leg injury, which should help bolster the Eagles on that side of the ball.
A key matchup in this game will be Maxwell on Julio Jones. Maxwell will likely be shadowing Jones and he will certainly have his hands full as Jones is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Jones is clearly the Falcons' go-to-guy, especially with Roddy White being slowed by injuries, so the Eagles are going to put their number one cornerback on him. Maxwell received a six-year, $65 million contract this offseason, and this will be his first season as a number one cornerback. Maxwell is getting thrown right into the fire, and his ability to cover Jones may go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.
On the other side of the ball, it will be Bradford's first game as quarterback of the Eagles. Bradford suffered his second ACL tear last season and hopes to remain healthy behind a better offensive line. Fortunately for Bradford, his first game in Philadelphia will be against the team that had the second fewest sacks in the NFL a year ago, which should help keep him upright and healthy for at least this week.
The game kicks off at 6:55 p.m. EDT and you can watch the live stream here. For the Eagles radio broadcast go here, and for the Falcons radio broadcast go here.
