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NFL: Top 5 Week One matchups to look forward to

By Rodney Stokes Jr

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his teams 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his teams 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Injured quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles holds the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Injured quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles holds the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Atlanta Falcons vs Philadelphia Eagles

I mean of course. There was no way that defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles weren’t getting the top spot here in this battle of the birds. While Nick Foles was the Super Bowl hero, it’s Carson Wentz that made it possible for the team to be in such a position and he’ll likely be the one under center against the Falcons.

Wentz’s recovery from an ACL injury will be big for the team but so will his surrounding talent. Against a team like the Falcons, a team that has few weaknesses, the Eagles will need to be fully healthy and ready to go.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Coliseum on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 06: Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Coliseum on January 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Alshon Jeffrey will hopefully be ready by week one and the health of both Jason Peters and Jordan Hicks will be important as well.

Of all the week one match ups this one has the looks of a heavyweight bout. Running back Jay Ajayi will have the bulk of the carries now that Blount is gone and in a tough week one match up, he’ll likely be relied upon with Wentz returning to action.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons have zero excuses to not make a deep playoff run barring significant injuries. Matt Ryan is among the best in the league and having a receiving corps of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu should set the NFC south on fire. Their week one matchup wont be easy though against a gritty secondary and a defensive line that brings nightmares to offensive coordinators.

That’s not to scoff at the Falcons secondary that is young, hungry and ready to make a name for itself. Between Keanu Neal and Desmond Trufant, the Falcons may have two of the best defensive backs in the entire league. The front seven is solid yet still waiting to reach their peak. There are a number of buds that are waiting to blossom and this could be the year that it finally happens.

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Luckily for everyone, the number one match up on this list will be the first match up of the new league year. Regardless of the winner here, both of these teams are expected to make a deep playoff push for the 2018-2019 season.

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