1. Justin Tuck- Stout against the run and can bring the heat too. Just a monster who has also mastered the art of the strip sack.

2. Julius Peppers- Makes everyone around him that much better and does everything as a player. Peppers can even tip passes regularly on the line (9 PDs last season).

3. Justin Smith- You have to take into account that this guy is a 3-4 end, and he is a beastly one indeed. Nobody brings pressure as regularly as he does from the three technique spot; just watch what he did to Matthew Stafford last week.

4. Dwight Freeney- I don't think we can ever stop gushing about his spin moves.

5. Trent Cole- Underrated end who excels at stuffing the run, and that's why I vaulted him to the top five.

6. Haloti Ngata- Absolutely destructive force.

7. Jared Allen- Gets a lot of sacks, but it's not really about the sacks. Still, there aren't many guys better than Allen.

8. Charles Johnson- The contract has helped him shed the underrated role, although he hasn't been quite as unstoppable as he was last year. But hell, he's been damn good this season too.

9. Terrell Suggs- He has a majority of his well-deserved snaps at defensive end.

10. Ray Edwards- I love his ability to get pressure and is one of the best 4-3 ends in the game.

11. Richard Seymour- So difficult to beat with that upper body strength and gets a ton of pressure on the inside. Not only that, but he also plays the run even better.

12. John Abraham- One-dimensional, but he is overpowering in that dimension.

13. Robert Mathis- He and Freeney will spend their days roasting offensive linemen together for the rest of their careers (I hope).

14. Jason Babin- Although he makes far too many penalties, their is no doubting his ability to put the QB to the ground.

15. Osi Umenyiora- Worse than the stats indicate, but the stats are off the charts.

Top 5 End

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, NFL Rankings, DEs, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Antonio Garay, Richard Seymour, Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Charles Johnson, John Abraham, Ray Edwards, Julius Peppers, Jared Allen

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2011 Week 2 Preview: Falcons and Eagles

September 16th 2011 16:54

Before I take a look at this game, I want to recall the 2004 season's NFC Championship game between these two teams. This was back when Michael Vick was the Falcons beloved franchise quarterback, and it was also the year in which Donovan McNabb roasted everybody and took the Eagles to the Super Bowl. They lost, but Andy Reid may finally be able to lay claim to a title of his own this season. The Eagles first legitimate test is an away game against Atlanta.

The reason why I mention the home and away dynamic is the fact that Matty Ice and the Atlanta offense are even better in the Georgia Dome. However, they are coming off of an embarrassing and unexpected drubbing against the Chicago Bears in the season's first week. The thing is, they really didn't play as poorly as the scoreline (30-12) would suggest. They are too talented to not bounce back, but that lackluster performance certainly hurts their stock going into this game. I mean, it's pretty difficult to be a legit Super Bowl candidate when you lose 30-12 to a team who will most likely struggle to go 8-8.

What hurt the Falcons most in that game was their offensive line, and the veteran presence of Todd McClure was sorely missed. He will most likely miss this game, and Joe Hawley is one of the last guys you want starting at center against the defensive line that they will be facing. Left guard Justin Blalock is one of the best guards out there, but interior of the line looks weak otherwise.

Speaking of which, the Eagles defensive line was absolutely dominant against the Rams. Jason Smith was consistently beaten, and backup ends Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker showed that they are more talented than "just backups". Cullen Jenkins was a huge presence, and Trent Cole turned in yet another solid performance. Yeah, the Eagles defensive line has been as-advertised.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said about their linebackers. All of them were horrible, and Casey Matthews really needs to get some tips from his brother. The secondary has looked solid and should be able to keep the Falcons offense somewhat at bay, but I could see Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner having big days.

What I really like about the Eagles secondary is the fact that they have four good corners on their roster. We all know about Nnamdi, Samuel, and DRC; but Joselio Hanson is a good player in his own right. He is vastly underrated and is one of the better nickel backs in the league.

The Falcons were dealt a huge blow when it was announced that standout- and underrated- defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux would be out for three to five weeks with a partially torn MCL. He is a very good run-stuffer and one of the best interior pass rushers in the game. His replacement, Corey Peters, is very average and won't be capable of replacing him. This matchup looks a whole lot better from LeSean McCoy's viewpoint.

Jason Peters should be able to hold his own, but I really worry about Todd Herremans in this matchup. It's not everyday that you're asked to block two top pass rushers in Kroy Biermann and Ray Edwards, but Sunday is just one of those days where he won't want to wake up (thank you Fred Durst). I think this line should be able to get some pressure on Michael Vick, and I could see Ray Edwards ending up with a lot of pressure and multiple sacks.

Brent Grimes, Dunta Robinson, and Thomas DeCoud make up a solid secondary, but I don't see how these guys contain the Eagles offense. I can see this game being a really high scoring affair, albeit with a lot of sacks.

For the reasons listed above, I think that the Eagles have the advantage in this one. They have the better secondary and passing matchup overall, and their running game should only be slightly less productive than the Falcons' ground game.

MVP: Trent Cole

Prediction: 34 Eagles 30 Falcons