Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Thoughts on their tendency to start slowly

While the Philadelphia Eagles were able to recover from a slow start in Week 1, they’ll need to start fast against the Falcons to avoid losing in Week 2.

Calling the start of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ first game versus the Washington Redskins frustrating would be an understatement. Their offense was anemic, and the defense gave up far too many big plays to aging veterans and inexperienced rookies. ‘The Birds’ were able to regain some of the momentum going into halftime (thank you DeSean Jackson), but if the Eagles want to be contenders, they need to start much faster this Sunday.

They’ll have a few opportunities to do so on offense and defense against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Here are three thoughts on Philly’s tendencies for slow starts.

1. The offense and defense must seize momentum early.

It’s no secret that both offenses are built for big plays. This Eagles team has no shortage of their own, and they’re built with the ability to take one to the house from anywhere on the field. Philly needs to come out firing on all cylinders as soon as the whistle blows.

The Redskins aren’t exactly one of the top teams in the league. If the Eagles start the way they did on Sunday against the Falcons or later in the year against teams like the New England Patriots or Dallas Cowboys, they could be in for a long day.

The Falcons didn’t look great against Minnesota Vikings either, but they’re built similarly to Philadelphia. Both sides can score in a hurry. Knowing that Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Calvin Ridley, and Matt Ryan will be on the other side means the Eagles defense better make sure they’re locked in on Sunday.

2. Numbers don’t lie.

In 2017, the Eagles were third in the league in first-half points per game (14.7). That put them behind only the Los Angeles Rams and Patriots. In 2018, they plummeted to 27th, only averaging 9.2 points per first half, and that was actually lower than offensively inept units like the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

With all of the weapons that they have, there’s no excuse for starting slow. Given that there are still some questions about the secondary of the Eagles, a fast start would take the pressure off of the defense and allow them to play more loosely.

3. All of this is correctable. It’s still early.

Look, it wasn’t all bad for the Eagles last Sunday. They played about as good of a second-half as you could possibly play. The key for them going forward is to put everything together early and play a complete game.

There isn’t any better opportunity than a Falcons team that struggled on defense and in pass protection. Chalk up last week’s first-half performance to rust. Many of the starters didn’t play in the preseason, but from here on out, Philadelphia needs to put the pedal to the metal starting with the first series.