The Philadelphia Eagles got what they wanted.
Right?
The sixth-seeded Atlanta Falcons knocked off the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 in the wild-card round, setting up a Saturday matchup against the top-seeded Eagles in the divisional round. This is largely considered the best-case scenario for Philly, which would have faced the winner of the No. 4/5 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers if the Falcons had lost. But Atlanta opened as 2.5-point favorites over the Eagles, according to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Per Football Outsiders, the Eagles are the first No. 1 seed to be an underdog in the divisional round since 1970. They'll have their hands full against the reigning NFC champs, especially without the services of quarterback Carson Wentz.
Reasons to be excited: Based on a season-long sample size, this was the ideal draw. Slow to rebound from a Super Bowl collapse against the Patriots, and dealing with the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (now head coach of the Niners), the Falcons were mediocre for much of the season. They experienced a big scoring dip this year, averaging 22 points per game compared to 34 PPG in 2016. The Eagles boast the fourth-ranked defense in football and can gain an edge with their physicality, particularly up front. They are 7-1 at home this season -- the lone loss coming in the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys in which they rested many of their starters. Well-rested and with the Philly crowd behind them, the Eagles should come out smoking.
Reasons to be concerned: You don't have to look much further than quarterback to understand why the Eagles are home underdogs. When Wentz went down with a torn ACL in Week 14, they lost a leader and an MVP candidate. Nick Foles is a capable backup but is also prone to ugly games, as evidenced in Week 16 against the Raiders. The Matt Ryan-Julio Jones combo has the potential to give the Eagles fits. Ryan was 9-of-10 (90 percent) when targeting Jones on Saturday, the duo’s best completion percentage in a game this season, per ESPN Stats & Information. Ryan and Jones have now played seven postseason games together, connecting on 80 percent of their passes. That's the best of any QB-WR duo with 20-plus attempts in the postseason since 2011. Who's going to cover Jones?
What’s next: The Eagles spent the bye week self-scouting and combing through Foles' past, looking for concepts that will maximize his skillset. Now it's time to install the game plan. With a Saturday game on deck, they're pushing their schedule up a day. They'll practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.