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Eagles will face a well-rested Falcons team - as they've done before

UNDER ANDY REID, the Eagles have come off their bye to play an opponent also coming off its bye only once before - they faced the Atlanta Falcons, the same team the Eagles will face this week, in the same situation.

Andy Reid holds a 13-0 record after a bye week since becoming Eagles head coach. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
Andy Reid holds a 13-0 record after a bye week since becoming Eagles head coach. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)Read more

UNDER ANDY REID, the Eagles have come off their bye to play an opponent also coming off its bye only once before - they faced the Atlanta Falcons, the same team the Eagles will face this week, in the same situation.

In 2008, the Eagles and Falcons both rested the week of Oct. 19. The Falcons were on their way to an 11-5 season, the Eagles were headed for 9-6-1, but also for a playoff run that took them to the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles won at the Linc, 27-14, with Brian Westbrook running for 167 yards on 22 carries and catching six passes for 42 more yards.

In Atlanta, that game is remembered more for the call ref Jerome Boger's crew made with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left. Falcons returner Adam Jennings was ruled to have muffed a Sav Rocca punt, with Akeem Jordan recovering for the Eagles. Replays showed there was a good chance Jennings didn't touch the ball, but the Falcons were out of timeouts, and because more than 2 minutes remained, they couldn't challenge. There was no review.

"I remember I just came down - I don't know if he touched it or not, but I saw a bean bag" dropped by an official to mark the spot of the muff, Jordan said Monday. Jordan said he knew then the ball was out and he needed to get to it. He did. In fact, Jordan ran the fumble in for a touchdown, but a muffed punt can't be advanced.

Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, from Penn Charter High, threw for a couple of TDs, but also was intercepted twice in Reid's 100th victory.

Under Reid, who is 13-0 the week following an Eagles bye, the team has never faced an undefeated opponent after a bye. The Falcons are 6-0 coming off their week of rest, and are being widely hailed as the class of the NFC.

Here is a breakdown of the teams Reid has defeated coming out of the bye in his previous 13 seasons, with what each team had done the previous week:

2011: The Eagles defeated Dallas, which was coming off a 34-7 win over the Rams.

2010: The Eagles defeated the Colts, who were coming off a 30-17 Monday night win over Houston.

2009: The Eagles defeated Tampa Bay, which was coming off a 16-13 loss to Washington.

2008: The Eagles defeated the Falcons, who were coming off their bye.

2007: The Eagles defeated the Jets, who had lost to the Giants, 35-24, the previous week.

2006: The Eagles defeated the Redskins, who had beaten Dallas, 22-19, the week before.

2005: The Eagles defeated the Chargers, who had beaten Oakland, 27-14, the previous week.

2004: The Eagles defeated Carolina, which was coming off a 20-17 loss to Denver.

2003: The Eagles defeated Buffalo, which had lost the week before to Miami, 17-7.

2002: The Eagles defeated Tampa Bay, which had beaten the Browns, 17-3, the previous week.

2001: The Eagles defeated the Giants, who had lost to the Rams, 15-14, the week before.

2000: The Eagles defeated the Bengals, who had beaten the Jaguars, 17-14, the previous week.

1999: The Eagles defeated the Rams, who had defeated the Bears, 34-12, the week before.