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The Eagles have a hidden advantage heading into the playoffs

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The Philadelphia Eagles may have lost quarterback Carson Wentz — the MVP front-runner until a torn ACL ended his season in Week 14 — but they have something else going for them heading into the playoffs.

Cold weather.

As the only team in the NFC from a cold-weather city that plays outdoors, the Eagles believe their ability to play in bitter conditions will give them an advantage over their opponents.

Since they’re the top seed in the NFC, the road to the NFC championship must go through Philadelphia, as they own home field throughout the playoffs.

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Temperatures have been downright frigid this week in Philadelphia, but looking out to next weekend when the Eagles will play their first playoff game, it will be a little warmer, in the 30s.

For the Eagles players, temperatures in the 30s will seem balmy, but for a team from Charlotte, New Orleans or Atlanta, that’s cold.

Of their three possible opponents — the Panthers, Saints and Falcons — none has played a game this year in temperatures under 40 degrees.

Philadelphia has played the last three weeks in cold weather, against the Giants in New York and the Raiders and Cowboys at home. The Eagles went 2-1 over that stretch, losing only to the Cowboys in Week 17 when they rested many of their starters.

“Playing these last two games at home in a cold environment does nothing but benefit us, just because the weather has gotten more cold the past couple of weeks,” said Eagles quarterback Nick Foles via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “So we’re still getting used to it, but it’s no reason. It is a huge advantage to us. Teams coming up here don’t want to play in this.”

Linebacker Nigel Bradham agrees.

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“Nobody really plays outdoors in our conference. So to get them to come to Philadelphia and play in this brick-cold weather, obviously, you know they’re not going to like it. And it’s an advantage for us. We’ll be able to pound the ball, be physical and have a defensive game like we want,” Bradham told NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Carolina and New Orleans will be playing in the room-temperature comfort of the Superdome this weekend, while the Rams and Falcons will be doing battle in the 70-degree Southern California sun.

“It’s hard to get acclimated to this weather, especially how it’s been nowadays,” safety Rodney McLeod told NBC Sports Philly. “We’re definitely going to use it to our advantage. We practice in it, we’re accustomed to it. We’re going to go out there and make it happen.”

The Eagles will host the Panthers, Saints or Falcons at 4:35 p.m. Eastern time Jan. 13.

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.
Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.
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