What Eagles coach Doug Pederson had to say about Falcons

Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles acknowledges the crowd after the Eagles defeated the Oakland Raiders 19-10 in a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 700070835 ORIG FILE ID: 898632144

Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles acknowledges the crowd after the Eagles defeated the Oakland Raiders 19-10 in a game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 700070835 ORIG FILE ID: 898632144

Here’s what Eagles coach Doug Pederson had to say in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday in advance of Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game against the Falcons:

On the Falcons: "I tell you, you want to be playing your best football at the end of the year and that's exactly what Atlanta is doing. They are playing great. Just great defense right now. Offense is doing ... they are efficient. They have the two-headed monster with those two running backs. Getting Julio involved a little bit more in the passing the game. I just think they are playing really well. You saw that the other night against the Rams. It's a different team than last year up here in Philly. We've got our work cut out for us. We had a good week off with the players. Got some guys rested. Now, we have to get ready for the week."

On the loss of Carson Wentz and transition to Nick Foles at quarterback: "It's tough. We've lost some great people. Some great players. Jason Peters, Chris Maragois and Jordan Hicks. A lot of guys that were starters for us. Carson Wentz. It's tough when you lose your quarterback, but Nick Foles is a veteran player. He's a player that I was on the Eagles staff before when we drafted him. I have a lot of confidence in what he's done and his career and, listen, it's been a one week at a time mentality. We just continue to game plan and get him ready to play just like the rest of the team."

On the key to the Eagles run defense: "The key is the defensive line. They are penetrators. They are up-the-field guys. Our linebackers are attack and fast-flow. They have just done a nice job. We have incorporated our corners and safeties in the run game. They are all a part of it. You watch the Falcons and you see how the Falcons tackle on defense, that's something that our team has done a better job of recently. They have been able to tackle and get ball carriers on the ground. That's also a part of the success the run defense has had."

On the play of Matt Ryan and the short passing game: "That's always a concern. Short, quick passes, the ball is out of your hands. You are not getting to the quarterback. A lot of times you can create space for your receivers. When you've got guys like Julio (Jones) and (Mohamed) Sanu, guys who can get up the field quickly, really, really poses a problem for your defense. We've got to be able to sort of corral those guys somehow. The quick passing game. Matt Ryan is very accurate with that. It's sort of a quarterbacks best friend is that quick passing game. It's tough to defend. We just have to be real discipline with our keys."

On the trade for Jay Ajayi: "He's blended in well. It seems like each week we are giving him a little bit more on his plate. He's fit in comfortably and he's done a nice job. He's complemented LeGarrette Blount well. He has really settled into the offense. He's another one that we rested at the end of the year to make sure that he's healthy and that he's ready to go this week."

On the development of the receiver corps and tight end Zack Ertz: "One of the things we wanted to do was improve our receiving corps. We did that with Alshon (Jeffery) and Torrey Smith. Nelson Agholor, who we drafted a few years ago, has really come on as a slot receiver. Then you through in Zach Ertz and he can be explosive as a tight end. It's just that these guys detail their work. They practice. They spend time (running) routes. They spend extra time. Mike Groh is our receivers coach. He does a nice job of getting them prepared. Justin Peelle with the tight ends. It's something that we needed to do. We needed to fix that area of our offense from a year ago and we've been able to do that. These guys have been great additions. The guys that have been with us have really improves in their performance."

On the play of Fletcher Cox: "Fletcher is a load. He's getting a lot of double teams. They are trying to slow him down, his pass rush. He's the leader of that defensive line. He gets the guys going. I have a lot of respect for he and his game and what he can bring to the table. A good player and does a great job for us."

On linebacker/special teamer Najee Goode: "He's one of our core special teams players. He's been a role player and situational guy at linebacker. He's really done a nice job for us. Joe Walker was hurt there for a couple of weeks and Najee had to fill in defensive and he did a really good job for us. Yet, his role is special teams and he's committed to that aspect."