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Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has a historic advantage against Falcons

By Derek McCauley

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles watches the action during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles watches the action during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Doug Pederson’s mastery of the Falcons is a huge X factor for the Eagles heading into Sunday.

This week’s contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons is a match-up steeped in recent history. It’s a history that Doug Pederson’s team has dominated up to this point. When the game kicks off in Atlanta this Sunday, this will be adding a fourth chapter to one of the most consistently interesting NFC match-ups of the past three years.

Both teams have proven themselves to be playoff-caliber units. Atlanta appeared in Super Bowl 51. Philly won Super Bowl 52. Both have successful head coaches that continuously go under-reported by the national media.

Dan Quinn and Doug Pederson each joined their respective franchises around the same time (Quinn in 2015, Pederson in 2016), and each man has led their teams to winning records since entering the fold. The X factor for Philadelphia on Sunday is Pederson’s knack for beating Quinn whenever they match-up face to face. This dates back to the 2016 season. Doug is undefeated at 3-0 when playing the Atlanta Falcons.

That spotless record should give Eagles fans confidence in their team’s ability to take care of business on Sunday, but it should also be noted that each one of those contests has been decided by single-digit scores.

The past three games’ final scores read like this: 24-15 in 2016, 15-10 in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs in 2017, and 18-12 in 2018. Include two pulse-pounding goal-line stands in both the 2017 NFC Divisional game and the 2018 NFL regular-season opener.

The margin for error in these games has proven to be razor-thin, and you can expect that to be the case once again on Sunday night.

The one thing that makes this match-up different than the past three is the location. Each of the Eagles three victories over Atlanta have taken place within the raucous confines of Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia will be put to the test early and often on the road against a Falcons team that needs a victory after being blown out bt the Minnesota Vikings to start the season.

Atlanta also now has their entire secondary back from injuries they sustained last season, and that’s a fact that hasn’t slipped Pederson’s mind. Listen to this one. It comes courtesy of the Eagles and KYW News Radio anchor Dave Uram:

This week two battle of playoff-caliber franchises has all the makings of a must-see contest, and it’s only fitting that it will take center stage on Sunday Night Football.

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It will be the greatest test to Pederson’s historic success against Atlanta to date, and it is a game that could make or break the Falcons season. Without question, this will be one of the more dramatic match-ups of the NFL’s second week, so we recommend having your popcorn ready. The fireworks are set to begin at 8:20 PM EST on NBC.

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