Going Deep
If anyone thought Doug Pederson would try to shelter Nick Foles in the Eagles playoff game against the Falcons on Saturday, the coach’s play call on the game’s first snap showed he wasn’t going to coddle his backup quarterback.
Now, that’s not to say things went according to plan, per se. Foles faked the ball to Jay Ajayi, took a five-step drop, then lofted a ball 50 yards downfield. The pass fell way short of Torrey Smith, but a pass interference call gave the Eagles a 42-yard gain.
Ajayi ended up fumbling the ball on the very next play, but it was clear Pederson was going to give Foles every opportunity to win the Eagles first playoff game in four years.
Before Sunday’s game, Pederson had been watching film of Foles’s time with Chip Kelly in hopes of recapturing the magic Foles possessed back in 2013, and despite not putting up eye-popping numbers, Foles responded by executed a game plan built around his strengths.
The Eagles established the run early in Saturday’s contest, running the ball eight times on the team’s first 12 offensive snaps.
That success running the football set up one of the things Foles has excelled at in his NFL career: play action.
Twelve of Foles 30 pass attempts on Saturday came on play action. Instead of making Foles sit in the pocket and scan the field for receivers, Pederson called a number of run-pass options and quick passes to cut down on Foles’s reads.
For example, take this completion to Nelson Agholor in the third quarter:
The Eagles ran the ball to Ajayi on the previous play and Foles sees the slot corner is playing soft coverage on Agholor. At the snap, the edge rusher comes up to the line of scrimmage, while the middle linebacker follows Ajayi to the right, leaving the middle of the field wide open for Agholor, who picks up eight yards.
Foles went 10-12 on play action passes for 86 yards and a passer rating of 96.5. The quick throws and simple reads got the backup quarterback into a rhythm that he rode for the entire second half.
“In the first half, I still felt good,” Foles explained. “But we made too many mistakes. So eliminating those mistakes helps maintain that rhythm as does completing a couple third downs.”
Third down success was one of the hallmarks of the Carson Wentz-led Eagles, but Foles’s ability to extend drives on Sunday was equally impressive. The Eagles finished 6-13 on third down and had just one three-and-out all afternoon.
At times it wasn’t pretty and the Eagles still have some things they need to clean up if they still want to make the Super Bowl. It’s hard to imagine winning another playoff game by scoring just one touchdown, but it’s obvious Pederson, Foles and the rest of the Eagles offense have figured out how to put together a gameplan that capitalizes on the quarterback’s strengths and that’s something the Birds will need if they want to be playing in Minneapolis in a few weeks.
Injury Report
The Eagles suffered zero injuries yesterday and the only inactive that could’ve been attributed to injury was Sidney Jones who was sidelined with a tight hamstring earlier in the week.
Measurables
3,289: It has been three-thousand-two-hundred-eighty-nine days since the Philadelphia Eagles last won a playoff game. That’s over nine years of futility. It’s been a long time since the Eagles have been this close to tasting glory, but hopefully it won’t be more than eight days until the Birds next postseason victory.
3: The Atlanta Falcons had three different drives last longer than 10 plays, but the Eagles held them to just three total points on those possessions. The Falcons lone touchdown came on the heels of a muffed punt that gave them the ball at the Eagles 18-yard-line. With the exception of that short field, the Eagles defense stifled Matt Ryan and company, employing a bend-but-don’t-break strategy that kept the Falcons’ high-flying offense out of the end zone.
.109: Heading into Saturday, NFL teams were just 13-106 when turning the ball over twice and having zero takeaways in a playoff game. The Eagles turned the ball over when Ajayi fumbled on the second play from scrimmage and again on that muffed punt. The Falcons scored all 10 of their points off those turnovers, but Jim Schwartz’s crew pitched a shutout otherwise.
Turning Point
Despite scoring a touchdown, the Eagles still trailed the Falcons, 10-6, in the closing seconds of the first half. What happened next is something that is the closest thing we’ve seen to the Immaculate Reception since Franco Harris stunned the Raiders in 1972:
Foles overthrows Zach Ertz over the middle and the ball bounces off the knee of Falcons safety Keanu Neal before landing safely in the arms of Smith, who lunges forward to midfield. Foles would hit Alshon Jeffery for 15 yards two snaps later to set up a 53-yard field goal from Jake Elliott that trimmed Atlanta’s lead to one before halftime.
Those three points would prove to be huge as it forced the Falcons to try for a touchdown from the two-yard-line in the closing seconds of the game instead of attempting a chip-shot field goal for the win.
Reaction Roundup
Fans across the Delaware Valley had different ways to celebrate the Eagles first playoff victory in nine years. Thanks to social media, we can take a look and relive the jubilation of yesterday's win.
Jeffrey Lurie in the @Eagles locker room is a mood. pic.twitter.com/0wZOF7JPev
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 14, 2018
This is my reaction when the Eagles win. Whew! pic.twitter.com/ShcVs615sY
— Angelo Cataldi (@AngeloCataldi) January 14, 2018
That moment when it sinks in… we’re moving on… #NFCChampionshipGame #FlyEaglesFly #LetsGoBirds pic.twitter.com/1dSdpANQAu
— XFINITY Live! (@XFINITYLive) January 14, 2018
Unreal atmosphere at the Linc. The road to the super bowl will go through Philadelphia. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/9IEfxYN49O
— Francesca (@BarstoolFran) January 14, 2018
Whatever it takes.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/NRanKyFok2
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 14, 2018
Five-Step Drop
1. With Wentz on the sideline, Fletcher Cox is the most talented Eagle on the roster and he showed up in a big way on Saturday. The defensive tackle had a sack, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and seven total tackles. Cox made life miserable for Ryan and Devonte Freeman, who was held to seven rushing yards on 10 carries. The best players seem to separate themselves during the postseason and Cox was clearly the best player on the field yesterday.
2. The Eagles are currently playing without their starting middle linebacker, their special teams ace, an MVP-candidate quarterback, a Pro Bowl running back, and a future Hall of Fame left tackle, and are still just one game away from the Super Bowl. Credit Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas for building a roster with enough depth to withstand the injuries its sustained this year and Pederson for fostering a next-man-up culture. What the Eagles have accomplished this season is really, really special.
3. One of the oddities of yesterday's game was the usage of Ajayi. He received eight first-half carries, but only got one touch in the second quarter and the Eagles let 16 offensive snaps go before getting him another carry in the third quarter. Ajayi racked up 50 yards in the first half, but only had 4 yards on 7 second-half carries. The Eagles never said if Ajayi got injured and he was effective as a pass-catcher in the second half, but it seems like his extended rest took him out of the rhythm he was in early in the game.
4. One guy who had a bit of an up-and-down game was Bryan Braman, the special teams ace who spent the first 14 weeks of 2017 on the streets before the Eagles reacquired him late in the regular season. Braman was responsible for touching the punt the Falcons recovered inside the red zone, but later Braman blocked a punt that set up a field goal. The veteran always played hard for the Birds and it was nice to see him get some redemption after making a potentially fatal mistake.
5. Perhaps the greatest mismatch on the field was Schwartz's schooling of Falcons' offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian has come under heavy criticism for the Falcons struggles in 2017, but Schwartz held his counterpart to just 10 points and only allowed him to cross the Eagles 40-yard-line three times. Schwartz has really stepped up his game lately and seems to be pushing all the right buttons in the past couple games. Under his command, this Eagles defense has been transformed into an elite unit.
Who's Next
The Eagles will advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2008 and host the game for the first time since 2004. The Eagles will face off against the winner of today's New Orleans Saints-Minnesota Vikings matchup.
The Eagles last played the Saints in the playoffs in 2013 when they lost to New Orleans, 26-24. The Birds also lost to New Orleans in 2007. The Eagles did beat the Saints in 1993, 36-20, behind a 26-point fourth quarter from the Birds.
The Eagles have had more success in the postseason against the Vikings, winning all three of their matchups with Minnesota, the last one coming in 2008. The Birds also defeated the Vikings in both of the seasons they went to the Super Bowl, 2004 and 1980. So perhaps there is a bit of destiny on the line if the Vikings can pull out a victory this afternoon.
