January 14, 2018
If you had Nick Foles vs. Case Keenum in the NFC Championship Game before the season began, you are much smarter than me. That's what it will be, as the Minnesota Vikings will take on the Eagles in Philadelphia next Sunday at 6:40 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, while the Vikings got there via their improbable final-play 29-24 win over the New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings' biggest strength is their No. 1 ranked defense overall, which allowed just 275.9 yards per game during the regular season. The Vikings had the No. 2 rush defense, allowing just 83.6 yards per game on the ground, as well as the No. 2 pass defense, allowing 192.4 pass yards per game. The Vikings' suffocating defense will be a major challenge for an Eagles offense led by quarterback Nick Foles, who remains a significant concern, despite the Eagles' playoff win over the Falcons.
Offensively, the Vikings are led by Keenum, who finished the season with a 98.3 QB rating, which was seventh in the NFL. They have a pair of talented receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, as well as a steady tight end in Kyle Rudolph. On the ground, the Vikings use a committee approach with Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon after losing rookie Dalvon Cook for the season.
The Eagles have faced the Vikings in the playoffs three times, all resulting in Eagles victories:
The last time the Eagles faced the Vikings in the regular season was in 2016, when the Eagles harassed Sam Bradford all afternoon, sacking him six times en route to a 21-10 win.
Eagles players took issue with being labeled an underdog against the Falcons in the divisional round. They will almost certainly be underdogs once again against the Vikings.
You can find ticket purchase information for the game here.
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