Eagles hold Falcons 2 yards short, reach NFC title game

PHILADELPHIA – It wasn't pretty. Then again, no one expected it to be with Nick Foles at quarterback on a cold and blustery evening.

But it didn't matter to the Eagles.

All week long, they had quietly seethed about being the first No. 1 seed to be underdogs in the first two rounds of the playoffs, mainly because of Foles, taking over for the injured Carson Wentz.

nullSo there was Foles calmly leading the Eagles to two long field-goal drives in the second half, the only points of the half, sending the Eagles to a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC Divisional Round playoff game Saturday.

No, Foles didn't light up the scoreboard. But Foles, an efficient running game and a stifling defense were just enough for the Eagles to advance to the NFC Championship game next Sunday. They'll play the winner of the Minnesota-New Orleans game. Those two teams play Sunday.

"Just keep on disrespecting us," wide receiver Alshon Jeffery said. "We're going to keep proving people wrong. We just believe in one another. We don't care what anyone else says."

It was the Eagles' first playoff victory since the 2008-09 season after four straight losses. That was also the last time that the Eagles reached the conference championship game.

The victory wasn't secured until cornerback Jalen Mills broke up a fourth-down pass from the Eagles' 2 yard line into the corner of the end zone intended for Julio Jones with 58 seconds left. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan rolled to his right, stopped, then threw into the back corner of the end zone towards Jones.

As soon as the ball fell incomplete, Mills sprinted down the field, arms at his side as if he was flying.

What was he thinking?

"Game over," Mills said. "You want to be in those types of situations. Fourth-and-goal, on the goal line, and to make a play to end the game. That's what you live for."

The same was true about Foles.

He was starting his fourth game in place of Wentz, who's out for the season with a torn ACL. Foles finished 23 of 30 for 246 yards. He did nothing fancy. He was just efficient. 

"I'm very humbled to win this game," he said. "I know there were a lot of people against us this past week, just answering questions and hearing about it... The biggest thing in this locker room is we believe in one another. Everyone believes and that was on display tonight."

Did he feel any measure of satisfaction for those who doubted him?

"Honestly, I don't need to," Foles said. "Because it doesn't matter ... It doesn't affect how I play or what I believe."

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But it wasn't easy.

In the first half, that was mostly of the Eagles doing as they fumbled the ball four times, losing two. Both of the turnovers led to the Falcons' points as Atlanta had a 10-6 lead when the Eagles got the ball back with 46 seconds left in the half.

Then Foles, with some luck involved, got to midfield with 12 seconds left when his pass downfield deflected off the knees of Falcons cornerback Keanu Neal and into the arms of Torrey Smith for a 22-yard gain.

With 7 seconds left, Foles hit Jeffery for 15 yards to the Falcons' 35. Jeffery stepped out of bounds with 1 second left. Jake Elliott, who missed an extra point earlier, nailed a 53-yard field goal.

That brought the Eagles to within a point. 

Foles then completed 5 of 7 passes for 70 yards during a drive that began at the Eagles' 7 and culminated with a 37-yard field goal, giving the Eagles a 12-10 lead with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.

He led the Eagles down the field again early in the fourth, with a dump-off throw to Jay Ajayi on 3rd-and-7 from the Eagles 20 that went for 32 yards just past midfield. The Eagles eventually faced a 4th-and-1 from the Atlanta 3, and appeared as if they would go for the first down.

But Eagles coach Doug Pederson called a timeout and the Eagles kicked a field goal to make it 15-10 with 6:02 to go.

"I was really considering that, going for it," Pederson said. "If we do go for it and make it at that point, game could be over."

Then the Eagles had to hang on at the end. The Falcons converted a 4th-and-6 from their 42 on their final drive on Ryan's pass to Jones.

They got to the Eagles' 26 at the 2-minute warning. They were at the 9 on Tevin Coleman's 10-yard run with 1:19 left, and at the 2 when Ryan hit Jones over the middle on third down. 

"Oh, man, it was nerve-wracking," tight end Zach Ertz said watching the defense hold off the Falcons at the end. "All that work that we put in paid off on that last defensive stand.

Then Mills batted the ball away from Jones, and soon after, the Eagles were one win away from the Super Bowl.

Special teams follies

It wasn't a good game on special teams for the Eagles.

First, Elliott missed an extra point, his fourth miss of the season from the equivalent of a 33-yard field goal. Then the Eagles turned the ball over on a punt when the Falcons' Matt Bosher hit a short, high kick toward Kenjon Barner.

Barner was signaling for his teammates to get out of the way, but the ball either deflected off the foot of Rasul Douglas or was touched by Bryan Braman as he was falling. Either way, Atlanta recovered the ball at the Eagles' 18 and eventually scored a touchdown.

The Eagles did get some redemption. Braman tipped a Bosher punt that ended up going for 22 yards in the final minutes of the first half. Elliott then hit a 53-yard field goal as time expired.

It's been a strange season for Elliott. He has missed four extra points this season, including playoffs, but only two field goals from 40 yards and beyond.

No Sidney Jones

It was likely the hamstring injury that prevented rookie cornerback Sidney Jones from playing Saturday.

Jones was a limited participant in practice both Wednesday and Thursday and was listed as questionable for the game. Jones had missed the first 15 games of the season recovering from a torn Achilles. He played in the season finale, but had to leave with leg cramps.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.