NFL
2018 NFL Divisional Round: 10 fast facts for Eagles v Falcons
What better way to go into the weekend than with some help from Opta, who broke down Saturday's showdown from top-to-bottom?
This is not the game a lot of people expected 12 weeks into the NFL regular season. The Atlanta Falcons were not playing great while the Philadelphia Eagles were riding high with MVP candidate Carson Wentz.
But thanks to an upset in the first round for the Falcons over the Los Angeles Rams and an injury to Wentz late in the season, fans get a Nick Foles-Matt Ryan playoff matchup which could go either way.
The Falcons are looking to get to their third conference championship game since 2012, while the Eagles are looking to get to their first since the Donovan McNabb era in 2008.
What better way to go into the weekend than with some help from Opta, who broke down Saturday's showdown from top-to-bottom?
FALCONS AT EAGLES
— Philadelphia are 2-1 all-time against the Falcons in the playoffs (most recently a 27-10 win in the NFC Conference Championship on January 23, 2005). Atlanta have won three of their last four games against the Eagles, however.
— The Eagles have lost their last four playoff games, tied for the longest such streak in franchise history. They have not won a playoff game since January 1, 2009, and have not won a home playoff game since January 1, 2007.
— The Falcons have won three of their last four road games after their victory in Los Angeles last weekend. They have now forced at least one turnover in six straight away games after failing to force a single one in their previous three.
— Philadelphia totalled less than 220 yards of offense in their last two home games, the first time they have done so since September 12-19, 1999. They have not done so in three straight home games since October 10-31, 1971.
— Atlanta are 4-2 in the playoffs since the start of the 2012 season. They won six playoff games between 1966 and 2011.
— Since the start of week 15, the Eagles are averaging 17.7 points and 258.9 yards of offense per game, which ranks as the 12th- and fourth-worst, respectively, in the NFL over that time. Prior to that, they averaged 31.1 points and 390.4 yards of offense per game, good for the best and the third-best in the league.
— Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is averaging 104.7 receiving yards per game in his postseason career, the best average in league history (minimum six games).
— The Eagles had three players recording eight or more receiving touchdowns this season (Alshon Jeffery – nine, Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor – eight). Only two other teams had multiple players accomplish the feat.
— Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant hit four field goals in his team's win last week, becoming the third kicker in league history to do so in a playoff game at age 40-or-older.
— Philadelphia defensive end Brandon Graham led the team with 9.5 sacks in 2017. He had recorded more than six sacks just once in his first seven years in the NFL.