By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Rookie signal-caller Carson Wentz receives much of the acclaim for propelling the Philadelphia Eagles to a 5-4 record in his inaugural season, but head coach Doug Pederson admires the collective efforts of his plethora of rookies who've contributed to the team's success.
"In 'Big V's' case, its tremendous to get [him] those types of reps," Pederson said. "It's so valuable that these guys are playing so early in their careers. Especially with Carson, and having a guy like Wendell [Smallwood] in the game with Carson. Now, we're putting Isaac [Seumalo] in there, so it's just valuable experience for these guys. It's game experience, something that we can continue to build each week."
Another sensational performance by the Eagles' defense at Lincoln Financial Field powered Pederson's team to a 24-15 win over the offensive juggernaut Atlanta Falcons. With the victory, Philadelphia remains undefeated at home, improving to 4-0 on their home turf.
Jim Schwartz's defense smothered Atlanta into submission with 60-minutes of volatile, attacking football. Matt Ryan and the high-octane Falcons were held to season lows in time of possession, first downs, net yards, and most importantly, points scored.
Today, Philly's neophyte head coach was asked which stat he looks at in determining the success of his defense.
"[That] we have one more point than them at the end of the game," Pederson said. "I don't put a lot of emphasis on points, yards, etc. If we just go out and execute the game plan and do our jobs, those things tend kinda care of themselves. Yes, we know Atlanta, the explosiveness they have on offense. But it's just a matter of our guys just embracing the game plan for that week. It was great to get Bennie [Logan] back yesterday. I think that was a key part of our rush, and not having to blitz as much. Any time you rush four and not blitz, and still put that kind of pressure on their quarterback, it's a great day."
The reemergence of Ryan Mathews was also an integral part in Philadelphia's much-needed win yesterday afternoon. The former San Diego Charger played only 26 snaps, but received 21 touches in that time, producing 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns at a clip of 5.7 yards per rush.
Collectively, Pederson's committee of runners gained a season-high 208 yards against the Falcons' previously seventh-ranked rush defense.
"The first thing is they're an eight-man front," Pederson said. "I think coach Stout did a great job designing same side runs, mixed in with some backdoor runs, and taking advantage of some fast-flow linebackers that are very aggressive to the ball. As long as you can stop the penetrators up front and get yourself up to the second-level defenders, you've got a chance. We did a great job in that yesterday, and managing that eight-man front."
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
