It’s one thing to pull a rabbit from the hat and amaze the audience, but quite another to keep the applause coming once everyone knows the trick.
Doug Pederson didn’t devise a winning game plan against the Atlanta Falcons out of thin air, and the 15-10, divisional-round win wasn’t just a sleight-of-hand ploy. It was real, thanks to a well-crafted strategy that played to the strengths of Nick Foles and the aggressive tendencies of the Atlanta defense.
Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings, who will meet the Eagles on Sunday for the right to play in the Super Bowl, have access to that game film.