Pretty soon the Eagles will have a new head coach.
He will have big shoes to fill.
His time with the Eagles didn't come to the ending many expected, but there is no doubt that during his five years as head coach, Doug Pederson won a lot of big games. In fact, when even more time passes and we look back at Pederson's time with the Eagles, that might be what stands out the most — Pederson's ability to get his team ready for the biggest games in the biggest spots.
That, and the Lombardi Trophy he delivered for the first time in franchise history.
As we spend #DougDay looking back at Pederson's time with the team, here is a look back at his top five wins with the Eagles:
5. Eagles over Houston Texans, 2018: It is hard to pick only five, so there is an argument to be made for a number of games to land in this spot. The Eagles win over the New York Giants on a last-second field goal in 2017. Their win a few weeks later against the Carolina Panthers, or their beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys after that.
This one lands the No. 5 spot because it required a huge day from the offense with a backup quarterback — a challenge that Pederson met time-and-time again. The former backup quarterback knew how to win with Nick Foles, and their win in 2018 over Houston was certainly proof of that. The 32-30 win featured 519 total yards of offense and was capped off by a dramatic game-winning drive. It proved to be the crucial win in a surprise playoff run.
4. Eagles over Steelers, 2016: It wasn't Pederson's first win, but this one was the first "underdog" moment of his time as head coach. Heading into the game a surprising 2-0, the Eagles were 3.5 point underdogs at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The result was a 34-3 beatdown that nobody saw coming. The fact that Pederson's offense with a rookie Carson Wentz to put up 34 points against a good Steelers defense only adds to how impressive the win was.
3. Eagles over Cowboys, 2019: Winning big games late in the season with his teams back against the wall was a staple of Pederson's time with the Eagles. His team's win over the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 was one of the best examples. Pederson and Carson Wentz lead the way in pulling the team out of a 5-7 hole to a Week 16 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys that was essentially a NFC East title game. The 17-9 win wasn't pretty, but it got the job done, and set the Eagles up for their second division crown under Pederson.
2. Eagles over Los Angeles Rams, 2017: Forget the loss this season — Pederson owned Sean McVay and the Rams, beating them whenever the stakes were high. That started in 2017 when the Eagles and Rams were battling for home-field advantage in the NFC. The Eagles were rolling with Wentz at quarterback, and had 31 point in the third quarter when he went down with a torn ACL. From there, Pederson turned to Foles, and the duo finished off a crucial win in the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl.
Outside of just the impressive win, this game ended up being a huge moment in Pederson's time with the Eagles, as in many ways began the main issue during his final few seasons — drama with the backup quarterback. It was clearly not his fault, but Wentz never gets hurts, there is a good chance Pederson and him are still dominating the NFC. They were that special together that season. Instead, Foles stepped in for an injured Wentz, and the relationship between Wentz and Pederson seemed to never be the same.
1. The Super Bowl LII Run: Ok, I cheated by putting three wins into the top spot. But as special as the Super Bowl win was, what made it special was the run up to the big game. The 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons didn't have the kind of offensive explosion Pederson would have hoped for, but with the underdog masks, backup quarterback and dramatic finish, it did have all the qualities of a signature Pederson win. From there the offense took off in a 38-7 win over Minnesota, including a flea-flicker touchdown that will be replayed in Eagles' highlight packages for years.
Finally, the epic 41-33 win over the New England Patriots. Any Super Bowl win would have been special. It is hard to imagine any will top Pederson's win. Going up against against arguably the best head coach of all time, Pederson won the coaching matchup. From "The Philly Special" to the dramatic decision to go for it on 4th down in his own territory in the fourth quarter, Pederson coached aggressive and pressed all the right buttons at the right times — one of his best and most memorable qualities as a coach.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
