Kolb shines as Eagles rip Falcons

Okay, who saw this one coming? Entering Week 6, the Falcons were considered by many to be the best team in the NFC. The Eagles, on the other hand, nearly blew a game against a winless team in Week 5. So, as I'm sure everyone expected, the Eagles dominated the entire game as they whipped the Falcons 31-17.

The Eagles started quick against the Falcons, stuffing them on their first three plays before needing just two plays of their own to score the first touchdown just two minutes into the game. DeSean Jackson was the star early on, taking an end around 31 yards for the first touchdown and then scoring a 34 yard touchdown receiving on the Eagles very next drive. Things turned bad quickly for Jackson, however, after he was on the receiving end of an ugly helmet to helmet hit by Dunta Robinson. It was a scary few moments as both Jackson and Robinson lay motionless on the field, though both were able to walk off with some assistance. Jackson clearly got knocked out and I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles were without him for a week or two.

Even with Jackson out of the game, the Eagles offense didn't miss a beat. Kevin Kolb played the best game of his career, completing 23 of 29 passes for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns. Kolb really showed another dimension in the game, taking some shots down the field when he had time and showing off his strong, accurate arm. In possibly the best play of the game, Kolb connected on a beautiful deep pass to Jeremy Maclin that turned into an 83 yard touchdown. With Michael Vick likely healthy enough to return next week and Kolb playing this well, we may have another quarterback controversy on our hands. At the very least, Kolb played well enough to throw his name into the discussion for who should be the starting quarterback.

As for the Eagles defense, they met every challenge that Atlanta presented. The Falcons running game, one of the best in the league, struggled to get anything going, amassing just 65 yards on 19 carries. The Falcons also have Tony Gonzalez and we all know how the Eagles struggle against tight ends, but Gonzalez was bottled up for most of the game, although he did do some damage in the red zone. Even the Falcons top receiving threat, Roddy White, was neutralized for most of the game, only picking up big yardage when the game was over.

In all, an impressive win for the Eagles against a very good Falcons team. A few missed David Akers field goals aside, the Eagles played nearly a perfect football game, executing their solid gameplan and beating up on the Falcons on both sides of the ball. While it's hard to get a gauge on this Eagles team, if they play like this every week, few teams in the NFL can beat them. At 4-2 after 6 weeks and the bye week coming after a tough Week 7 matchup in Tennesse, the Eagles are in a strong position to contend for a playoff spot. With a brutal schedule coming after the bye, there is still plenty of time for this season to go sour, but for now, the Eagles are showing they have plenty to play for this season.