Should Ronald Darby shadow Julio Jones this week?
The Philadelphia Eagles could allow Ronald Darby to shadow one of the best receivers in the NFL this week.
The matchup is finally set and it is a new season and new challenge for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Atlanta Falcons will be coming to town this week for the divisional playoffs. While the Eagles may be weak on offense, this will be the time of the season where the defense needs to step it up the most.
Aside from the up-front dominance from the defensive line, the Eagles defense has had its struggles. The play from the secondary has been very concerning, to say the least. While there have been some key turnovers forced due to bad passes, the Falcons issue a major mismatch for the Eagles defense in the passing game.
If there is one player that can give the secondary a hard time, it’s Julio Jones. The veteran receiver has had an up and down season due to injuries, but that doesn’t mean this game will be easy for the Eagles’ defensive backs. Jones had a solid showing last season in Philadelphia when the Eagles barely defeated them. He caught 10 passes for 135 yards. Although he was held without a score, his big-time catches were the key plays that put the Falcons in some great field position.
Heading into this week, Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills is feeling confident in himself. With the Eagles keeping their corners on a side permanently, Mills is expected to face off against Julio quite a few times. After seeing the struggles of Mills’ in recent matchups, it will be far from surprising if Jones is lined up against Mills for the majority of the game.
Should the Eagles adjust?
The confidence of Jalen Mills is respectable this week. But we would be lying as fans to say that we aren’t worried about this highlighted matchup. While Jones has been contained a lot more this season, he had still displayed his dominance in a few games. While Mills may be confident in his showdown with the receiver, the Eagles might have to do something they haven’t done all season. That is letting Ronald Darby shadow, Julio.
Let’s face it, all previous criticism aside, Darby is the best cornerback on this team. Aside from a few big plays he has given up in previous games, Darby has made some very key plays that helped lead the Eagles to victory. While Mills’ has had some flashes of excellent play too, he seems to be figured out.
This week, the Eagles cannot take any chances. They need to hold the Falcons under 20 points if they want to keep it close. With the offense simply struggling to produce, they will need to make this a defensive battle. With Darby shadowing one of the best receivers in the league, their chances of eliminating the Falcons increases.
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Obviously, it doesn’t sound like the Eagles plan to give Darby that assignment as of now. For the most part, they have remained confident in their gameplan. But as the week goes on, don’t be surprised if the Eagles consider having Darby follow Julio around all game. Containing Julio Jones will be key to an Eagles victory this Saturday.