Doug Pederson is a home underdog again. Will the oddsmakers ever learn?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Five years ago Friday, former head coach Doug Pederson and the Eagles were preparing to play the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Without his starting quarterback, Pederson's Eagles were three-point underdogs.
They had a lucky bounce go their way, won the game and didn't lose the rest of the way en route to the team's first-ever Super Bowl, knocking off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Now, Pederson – as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars – is in a similar situation. Eagles fans might want to dust off their underdog masks.
In his first year at the helm in Jacksonville, Pederson has helped the Jaguars reach the postseason after taking over for Urban Meyer's disastrous one-year stint.
The Jaguars will face the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card playoffs Saturday, and get this: Pederson is a home dog.
Will the oddsmakers ever learn?
The year the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Pederson was an underdog in every single game, including two at Lincoln Financial Field.
As of this writing, the Jaguars are 1.5-point underdogs against the Chargers. The line opened as a pick-em.
Overall, Pederson is 5-1 against the spread in the playoffs, including 5-0 ATS and 4-1 straight up as an underdog.
Jacksonville is also 4-0 as a home underdog this season and 7-5 overall as an underdog.
The Chargers are 4-1 this season as an away favorite and 6-4-1 as a favorite overall, but this is the first playoff appearance for head coach Brandon Staley and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Pederson has a serious advantage over Staley as a head coach, and that postseason experience is no joke.
The Jaguars and Chargers met earlier this season – a 38-10 victory for Jacksonville. But, Los Angeles wasn't healthy early in the season and has won four of its past five games entering the playoffs.
The Jaguars didn't play well last week against the Tennessee Titans in a showdown for the AFC South and Trevor Lawrence didn't look sharp.
But in the end, the Jaguars fought and came away with the victory – just like Pederson's teams have done previously.
Expect that to continue in his playoff debut with the Jaguars, and don't forget to bet on Pederson as an underdog Saturday night.
*All odds are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
