Revisiting the top Falcons-Eagles Week 10 matchups

The Atlanta Falcons dropped to 6-4 Sunday with a 23-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Let’s revisit the game’s top matchups:

Brian Poole versus Jordan Matthews

It looked like Matthews was in for a big day. He found holes in the Falcons’ zone defense on the Eagles’ first drive of the game, catching two passes for 26 yards. Things slowed down a bit for him after that, as he added four more receptions for 47 yards, ending the day with six catches for 73 yards.

Poole, an undrafted free agent, has been impressive all year long. He wasn’t exactly a liability in Philadelphia, but he was called for a 21-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Matthews in the fourth quarter.

Darren Sproles versus the Falcons defense

Sproles had moderate success against the Falcons defense Sunday — largely in the passing game. He had just two rushing attempts for 19 yards, but he hauled in eight passes for 57 yards. Of those eight catches, three resulted in first downs.

However, it was Ryan Mathews who did most of the damage, as he had the best game of the season — and nearly his career — by far. He racked up 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground while also catching two balls for 30 yards. Wendell Smallwood also got involved with 70 rushing yards.

Julio Jones versus the Eagles defense

Jones was the game’s leading receiver with 10 receptions for 135 yards, but he should’ve had a much better showing. He dropped two passes — including one in which he was wide open — and another on fourth down. You don’t see that often from the stud receiver.