No. 5: Falcons’ Devonta Freeman & Tevin Coleman vs. Eagles Run Defense

One of those areas of frustration and inconsistency for the Falcons last year was on the ground, namely with No. 1 running back Devonta Freeman, who averaged nearly a half yard less per carry last season than his impressive 4.8 yards per attempt in 2016.

Freeman and Atlanta’s No. 2 tailback, Tevin Coleman, will want to establish the Falcons running game early and often against Philadelphia.

The problem, though, is it’s not projected to be easy.

Last year, the Eagles’ run defense ranked No. 2 in defensive DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. But things will be a bit different for Philadelphia this year without run-stopping linebacker Mychael Kendricks no longer in the picture. As a result, Pro Football Focus ranked Philly’s run defense No. 15 in the NFL heading into 2018.

Despite the linebacking concerns, though, the Eagles defensive line remains stout enough to create problems for Atlanta’s ball carriers. D-linemen Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Tim Jernigan are among the best run defenders in the league right now.

But Graham is dealing with an ankle injury and is listed as questionable. His primary backup, Chris Long, owns a 69.5 run-stopping grade compared to Graham’s 83.4 mark, per PFF. So Freeman and Coleman may want to target that side of the Eagles’ field if Graham is unable to go.