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The NFC Championship game may also decide the Coach of the Year

By Brandon Thornton

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings shake hands after their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 21-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings shake hands after their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 21-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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The NFC Championship game may have more than just a team win on the line for both coaches.

Throughout the season there have been a plethora of candidates for coach of the year. Names included Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers, Doug Marrone of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills Burgermeister Sean McDermott, Minnesota Vikings head honcho Mike Zimmer, and the 31 years young upstart Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, who some are already touting as the second coming of fill in the blank.

No coach really separated himself as the front-runner. McVay looked like he could be, until his team essentially laid an egg at home against the Atlanta Falcons in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs.

But one name whose name was also thrown in the hat (or visor) but hasn’t gotten as much press is Philadelphia Eagles Poobah Doug Pederson. Like many of the names previously mentioned, Pederson has taken over a team down on their luck and has taken them farther than anyone thought possible in a short span.

His work with Carson Wentz has turned the second year former FCS quarterback into a possible MVP in just his second season. But it’s his work without “Ginger Jesus” that is deserving of praise.

When Wentz tore his ACL late in the 4th quarter in week 15 against the Rams, all hope for any postseason success seemed lost. Whether you watched fans, analysts, what have you from around the country, it was universally agreed that the Eagles Super Bowl dreams were shot out of the air just after really taking flight.

Except to the people in the Eagles locker room.

Keeping the ball rolling…

Moral wise, the Eagles never missed a beat. One would never know their franchise quarterback went down by looking around the locker room. Pederson deserves a lot of the credit for that.

With backup quarterback Nick Foles directing the offense, Pederson adjusted the playbook, and catered it to Foles’ strengths. This enabled the Eagles to go 3-0 in games that Foles started and finished. Including an upset victory over the favored defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. If you haven’t already heard, the Eagles were the first ever number one seed to be underdogs against the number six seed since 1990.

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Similarly, Vikings (and the man Wentz replaced in Philadelphia) quarterback Sam Bradford went down with a season-ending injury, the Vikings were placed in a similar situation, albeit with much, much more time to adjust. A lot of this has to do with their coach Mike Zimmer. Now, some may look to this as an advantage to Zimmer taking home the prize of coach of the year, since he’s won more games with his backup quarterback Case Keenum. However, on the other side of that coin, Pederson continues to win with his backup in higher-pressure situations. Not to mention also with far less reps for the quarterback.

Both teams are nearly identical on paper. It’s a debate that can go on forever. So this Sunday’s NFC Championship may decide more than just the representative for the National Football Conference in Super Bowl LII.

It may also decide the coach of the year.

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