Martin Frank | The News Journal

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles are very familiar with the Atlanta Falcons even though they didn't face Atlanta this season.

The Eagles are hoping that will help them when they face the Falcons next Saturday in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. The game will begin at 4:35 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field.

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The Falcons advanced after beating the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 on Saturday night. The Falcons were the No. 6 seed in the NFC, upsetting the third-seeded Rams. The Eagles, who went 13-3 this season, are the top seed. Yet the opening betting line has the Eagles as 2.5 point underdogs, mainly because they have struggled since starting quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Dec. 10.

The Eagles, in the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season, had a bye this weekend in the Wild Card round.

The Eagles beat the Falcons 24-15 on Nov. 13, 2016 at the Linc. The Falcons went to the Super Bowl last season, where they lost in overtime to the New England Patriots 34-28 after blowing a 28-3 lead.

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But the Falcons struggled somewhat this season. They didn't clinch a playoff spot until the final weekend of the season, finishing 10-6. Still, many of the players who went to the Super Bowl last season returned this season.

That includes quarterback Matt Ryan, who didn't have nearly as good a season in 2017 as he did the season before. Ryan threw for 4,095 yards this season with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 91.4.

In 2016, Ryan threw for 4,944 yards with 38 TDs and just 7 INTs. He had a QB rating of 117.1, which was the highest in the NFL last season.

But Ryan still has the same skill position players that he did a year ago, led by wide receiver Julio Jones and running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Jones had a typically dominant season with 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns.

Freeman and Coleman, meanwhile, teamed up for 1,493 yards on the ground.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are very different from the team that beat the Falcons in 2016. For one, running backs Ryan Mathews (109 yards) and Wendell Smallwood (70 yards) led the rushing attack that day. And Carson Wentz thew for 231 yards.

Mathews didn't return this season while Smallwood has been inactive in six of the final seven games. Wentz tore his ACL against the Rams on Dec. 10. He is being replaced by Nick Foles.

At running back, the Eagles will likely rely on Jay Ajayi, whom they acquired in a trade with Miami on Oct. 31, and LeGarrette Blount. The wide receivers are different, too, from the group that played the Falcons, as Nelson Agholor is the only returning receiver from last year.

But Foles and the Eagles offense have struggled the last two games, scoring a total of 13 points on offense. Foles, meanwhile, is 23 of 49 for 203 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in those two games, a total of five quarters.

Still, that victory for the Eagles last season was one of their most impressive in a 7-9 season. The Eagles controlled the ball for 38 minutes, 10 seconds. And it represented the first time that season in which they rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to win a game.

The Eagles trailed 15-13 early in the fourth quarter. But Mathews scored on a 5-yard TD run with 6:49 left, and the defense managed to hold off the Falcons. The Eagles improved to 5-4 after the win, still alive for a playoff berth, while the Falcons dropped to 6-4.

The Eagles would like to use the same formula this time. But it'll have to be with a different cast of characters.