Underdog Eagles take down Falcons

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Foles was steady, Jake Elliott had a big leg and the defence made one final stop.

The underdog Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the National Football League’s NFC championship game following a 15-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.

They’ll host the SaintsVikings winner next Sunday.

The Eagles entered the game as three-point underdogs against the sixth-seeded Falcons (11-7). They used it as motivation and now it’s onto the next one as they continue pursuit of the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

As Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said, “We went out and proved we can be the real winning team.”

Matt Ryan’s final pass sailed through Julio Jones’ arms in the corner of the end zone as Jalen Mills had tight coverage on fourth down from the two to secure Philadelphia’s win.

It was another disappointing finish for the Falcons, who blew a 25-point lead against the Patriots in last year’s Super Bowl.

Foles outplayed Ryan, bouncing back from a pair of subpar games with an efficient performance.

He completed 77 per cent of his passes (23 of 30) for 246 yards, no touchdowns and no turnovers.

“The biggest thing in our locker room is that we believe in one another and that showed,” Foles said.

“We kept working, kept grinding, had faith in one another.”