Fly Eagles Fly! As a die-hard Eagles fan, this Saturday's game (Jan. 13) is very exciting! It has been nine long years since the Philadelphia Eagles have won a playoff game. In January 2009, the Eagles clinched the division playoffs by beating the New York Giants 23-11. There have been a lot of changes to the team since then in both the roster and coaching staff. The Falcons are favored to win in part due to Carson Wentz, the Eagles stellar quarterback, out with a knee injury. But let's keep a few things in mind. The Falcons are a dome team. The weather in Philadelphia this Saturday is predicted to be in the low 30s.

This alone could give the Eagles an advantage.

Statistics that could benefit the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have the No. 1 rushing defense, the No. 1 red zone offense and the No. 1 record at home in the past two years. The Eagles are in the top five for 3rd down defense, takeaways, and turnover differential. Atlanta played at Lincoln Financial Field last season and lost. Matt Ryan, the Falcons quarterback, is 1-3 against the Eagles. His outdoor stadium record is 34-29. The Eagles are the first team in NFL history that is the No. 1 seed, yet still are the underdog.

Wild Card teams, which is what the Atlanta Falcons are, have a 9-17 record in the second round. The last time the Eagles had home field advantage was in 2004, which was the last time they were in the Super Bowl.

Mike Lombardi said, "Doug Pederson might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I've ever seen." What an interesting statement about a man who took a team from a 9-7 season to a 13-3 season!

My personal opinion

The Eagles have a better receiving core around Nick Foles than Carson Wentz had last year when they beat the Falcons 24-15.

Eagles running backs have a good enough run game to gain yards and also take some pressure off of Foles. In fact, when Jay Ajayi was still playing for the Dolphins, he broke tackle after tackle against the Atlanta defense. He didn't go down at the first point of contact. The Dolphins won that game 20-17. The Eagles defense does things the Atlanta defense just doesn't do.

Philadelphia tips and intercepts balls and is generally more impactful. The Falcons make crucial mistakes constantly and can never seem to bounce back from them. Who can remember Super Bowl 51? Does the 28-3 final score ring a bell to any Atlanta fans?

Since the Eagles lost Carson Wentz to an ACL tear, their odds of winning have gone down. However, this team has struggled with adversity all year. Philly's best special teams punt returner, Darren Sproles, was placed on IR early this season. If that didn't happen, Philly would not have picked up Jay Ajayi, who is the modern day "beast mode." The Eagles kicker, who was always consistent, Caleb Sturgis, went down with an injury which resulted in picking up Jake Elliott.

Elliott made Eagles history by nailing 61-yard game-winning field goal against the Giants in Week 3. Philadelphia's defense took a major blow when they lost linebacker Jordan Hicks and right guard, Jason Peters. Both went down in the same game against the Redskins and the Eagles still won that game, 34-24.

You can argue the fact the playoff experience is a real thing. Let's remember that Nick Foles was Philly's Quarterback the last time the Eagles were in the playoffs. Fly Eagles Fly!!! Final score: 24-17, EAGLES!!!
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