Eagles vs. Falcons: NFL experts make Week 1 picks

. If there’s concern for the Eagles, it’s that Atlanta was probably better than their record last season indicates. The Falcons stumbled to a 4-12 record thanks mostly to some absolutely hellacious choke jobs in fourth quarters, and those things tend to even out over time. Their rushing attack may be thin, and Julio Jones is with Smith’s former team in Tennessee, but a productive veteran like Matt Ryan is a safer bet to perform out of the chute than Hurts. Still, there’s appeal to going with the road Birds here. The Eagles should be able to keep a weak running back group from getting going, setting up a lot of third-and-long situations and increasing the degree of difficulty for Ryan. Hurts’ dual-threat ability combined with a deeper pool of talent at the skill positions should allow Philly to get off to a strong start on offense. The lines suggest oddsmakers believe this would basically be a pick ’em or a slight lean toward Atlanta on a neutral field, and that feels about right to me. I’ll take the Falcons by a hair but wouldn’t be surprised to start the year 0-1 on the predictions.

Jalen Hurts might have played in only one preseason game, but the second-year quarterback made noticeable improvements during the final two weeks of training camp. His veteran-led offensive line should help ease some burdens this season. Hurts’ earlier struggles in the summer could’ve been indicative of the strength of the defense, which is preparing for a questionable Falcons offensive line. Nick Sirianni pulls out a close win in his coaching debut.

This is my sneaky fun game of the week. Both teams are beautiful mysteries that have players I am dying to see: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Kyle Pitts … fantasy league winner Mike Davis. While I give the coaching combination of Arthur Smith and Dean Pees an edge for Atlanta, the Eagles still have the bones of a winning team up front on both sides of the ball. The Falcons, on the other hand, have an incredibly undermanned defense and their usual pass protection questions. Believe in the big guys!

Jalen Hurts is the Eagles starter at quarterback and how he goes is how well the Eagles go. Hurts has the ability to create with his legs, which can be a problem for the Falcons. Matt Ryan doesn’t have Julio Jones anymore, but he still can make big plays with Calvin Ridley and rookie Kyle Pitts. The Eagles will hang around, but the Falcons will find a way.

Matt Ryan makes the difference in this one, with Atlanta building some confidence right out of the gates against an overmatched opponent that is a work in progress at best.