NFL
Doug Pederson Gives the Philadelphia Eagles His Best Gift Since Super Bowl 52
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterPublished18 Dec 2022
Doug Pederson has nothing to do with the Philadelphia Eagles anymore. Sure, he brought the franchise its first Super Bowl title and has a statue outside Lincoln Financial Field, but he was fired by the team in 2021 and has since taken the head job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even though Pederson traded in his midnight green visor for a turquoise version, he’s still helping the Eagles from the opposite conference. By upsetting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, Pederson gave his former team his best gift since Super Bowl 52.
Doug Pederson’s Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Dallas Cowboys
Whew, what a ridiculously wild NFL Sunday. I can’t remember a day with this many jaw-dropping endings.
One of the craziest games of the day went down in Duval County. The Dallas Cowboys looked to be on their way to a stress-free victory after taking a 21-7 lead into the halftime locker room. Dak Prescott and company kept their foot on the gas and expanded the lead to 27-10 late in the third quarter. Done deal. On to Eagles week. Well, not so fast.
Thanks to Trevor Lawrence’s brilliance and a few bone-headed mistakes by Dallas, the Jaguars were able to climb back into the game and force overtime on a last-second field goal. Jacksonville got the ball first to start OT, but it couldn’t get a single first down and had to punt.
The Cowboys, only needing a field goal to escape with a win, were back in control. Only, it didn’t last long. After moving the ball close to midfield, Prescott threw a pass that bounced off Noah Brown’s hands and ended up in Rayshawn Jenkins’ control. The safety took the interception and ran it back 52 yards to the house.
Ball game.
The comeback victory was crucial for Jacksonville’s playoff hopes, but it was just as important to Pederson’s former team, the Eagles.
Doug Pederson gives the Eagles his best gift since Super Bowl 52
As the Jaguars were completing the thrilling comeback, the Eagles were fighting for their own playoff positioning against the Chicago Bears. At 12-1 entering Sunday, Philadelphia was in the driver’s seat to land the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but a loss to the Cowboys in Week 16 would complicate that goal.
But not so much anymore.
Thanks to Pederson’s Jaguars, the Eagles are now 13-1 and three games ahead of the 10-4 Cowboys in the NFC East standings. Philly just needs to win one of its last three games to lock up the division title, and the No. 1 seed would likely follow.
If the Cowboys won Sunday and beat the Eagles on Christmas Eve, they would be just one game out of first place with two games remaining. Now, there’s no wiggle room, and it’s all thanks to Pederson.
