Minnesota @ Philadelphia (NFC Championship Game)
The Eagles earned the top seed in the NFC this season with outstanding play all-around, but especially from their quarterback, Carson Wentz. Unfortunately for them, Wentz’s season ended prematurely with a torn ACL in week 14.
Philly is the only team out of all the NFC playoff teams who the Vikings have yet to play. If these two teams do meet, it will be in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship game, the only game Minnesota would have to play outside of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Offensive Key: Anything Goes
In 2017, the Eagles are ranked 17th in pass defense, allowing 227.3 yds/gm and have given up a total of 24 passing touchdowns this season. This is a mix of occasional struggles in the secondary and not getting to the quarterback. They are 15th in sacks, only putting up 38 this season. The Vikings offensive line is not healthy, but they have only allowed 27 sacks (tied for fourth). The Eagles pride themselves on forcing turnovers, something Minnesota does not do often. As long as Keenum has time to throw to his elite weapons, the Vikings have an edge.
No we look at the Eagles number one run defense and why it is overrated. At first look, it seems impressive: 79.2 yards per game, 3.8 yards per attempt and only seven touchdowns. But dig a little deeper and you find that the best team they controlled the line of scrimmage against was the Broncos, who only rank 12th in run-offense. The next highest-ranked team they played well against run-defense wise was the Bears, 16th in the NFL. Next? 49ers, 21st. Then the Seahawks, 23rd.
Here are the other teams the Eagles run defense has played well against and those teams rank as far as rushing yards per game goes:
Washington Redskins (twice) – 28th
New York Giants (twice) – 26th
Los Angeles Chargers – 24th
Arizona Cardinals – 30th
That means that this team played well against the run in 10 of their 16 games against teams no better than 12th in terms of running the football. In the other games:
Kansas City Chiefs – Kareem Hunt – 13 attempts, 81 yards, 2 touchdowns
Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton – 11 attempts, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
Cowboys (1st game) – Alfred Morris – 17 attempts, 91 yards
Cowboys (2nd game) – Ezekiel Elliott – 27 attempts, 103 yards
Los Angeles Rams – Todd Gurley – 13 attempts, 96 yards, 2 touchdowns
Oakland Raiders – Marshawn Lynch – 25 attempts, 95 yards
Philadelphia’s run defense only held good rushing opponents down twice in those six games. When facing top-notch backs, the Eagles do not look like the best run defense in football. Of course, the Vikings do not exactly have a top-notch back. But they do run the ball consistently and effectively. That should continue against Philadelphia.
Defensive Key: Nick Foles
Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz sound scary. And with Carson Wentz, they are. But with Nick Foles, it is a different story. Suddenly, Jefferey and Agholor are not as intimidating. Now, Ertz becomes a must-cover and Blount and Ajayi are the main focus. This is the reality for defenses facing the Eagles at this stage of the year.
Since Wentz went down, Foles has looked sub-par aside from a solid performance against the last place Giants. In his only full game against a team that was not the Giants, he put up 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception against a struggling Raiders team. In week 17, Foles only played a small portion of the game, but still managed to throw a pick. Bottom line is he is not Wentz and he is not a playoff-winning quarterback.
The Vikings should shut down Jeffery with Xavier Rhodes and Agholor with Trae Waynes. The Vikings run defense may be the league’s actual best, meaning Blount and Ajayi may struggle to find running lanes. And the Eagles’ offensive line is very good, but the Vikings pass rush is, as well. Foles is a statue when he drops back, so there should be some shots to be had.
The Eagles are a great team with Carson Went. This game would be much different with him at the helm. But since he is not, the Vikings should be the better team.
Overall, the 2017 Minnesota Vikings look like the most complete team in the playoffs. They do not have a gaping hole that can be exploited at any given moment. The team has proven they have depth time and time again. Take into account that the Super Bowl is being played in U.S. Bank Stadium and you have a recipe for a successful playoff run in Minnesota.
– Adam Pearson is a staff writer for Full Press Coverage Vikings, follow him on Twitter @APwrites3 and follow FPC Vikings on Twitter @FPC_Vikings
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