The Eagles and Vikings are mirror images of each other

The Eagles and Vikings are on a collision course on the road to Super Bowl LII.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings will meet in the NFC Championship to see who goes onto Super Bowl LII. Despite their respective fans, location, and culture, both teams are a lot similar than people would think. Here are three reasons how the Eagles and Vikings share similarities.

Defense

It’s no secret that defense wins championships. Both teams know this all too well because they probably wouldn’t be in the NFC Championship if they didn’t. Both are among the best defenses in the entire NFL. The Vikings finished the 2017 season first in total defense. The Eagles were no slouches either as they finished fourth in total defense as well.

The Vikings also allowed the fewest points/game with 15.8 while the Eagles only allowed the fourth fewest with 18.4 points/game. What makes these two teams very effective is their defensive line play?

The Vikings are anchored by their 2017 Second-team All-Pro defensive end, Everson Griffen. Fellow teammate Danielle Hunter has been a force on the opposite side as well. Like Griffen, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was also selected as a 2017 Second-team All-Pro for the Eagles and is arguably the team’s best player. Defensive end, Brandon Graham has also been a game changer for the team as he can line up anywhere on the defensive line. In addition to their stellar play in the trenches, both defenses feature the premier safeties in the league which include Harrison Smith and Malcolm Jenkins.

Overcoming injuries

Despite having the two best records in the NFC in 2017, that does not mean that the Eagles and Vikings go unscathed throughout the season. The NFC East Champs lost NFL MVP candidate and quarterback in Carson Wentz. They also lost future Hall of Fame left tackle Jason Peters and up-and-coming middle linebacker Jordan Hicks as well.

As for the NFC North Champs, they too lost their starting quarterback in Sam Bradford. The biggest loss was rookie Dalvin Cook, who looked to emerge as an elite running back in year one.

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Most NFL teams could not overcome these injuries. However, the “Next Man Up” approach has guided the Eagles and Vikings to success regardless.

Nick Foles and Case Keenum have stepped up big time at quarterback. Also, second-year tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai not only has replaced Peters but could be the starting left tackle going forward. As for the Vikings running game, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon kept the ground attack alive as the team finished seventh in team rushing with 1957 yards.

Well coached

One of the main reasons why the Eagles and Vikings are able to overcome potentially devastating injuries is due to coaching. Head Coaches Doug Pederson and Mike Zimmer have done a phenomenal job in leading their teams to this point. Both are contenders for the 2017 Coach of the Year.

The assistant coaches also deserve a ton of credit. Defensive Coordinators Jim Schwartz and George Edwards have been recently interviewed for head coaching positions this season due to their defensive success. Eagles Quarterbacks Coach John DeFilippo has also interviewed for head coaching and offensive coordinator positions because of his stellar work.

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The one assistant coach who might deserve the most credit is Vikings Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur. Even though he lost his starting quarterback and running back, the Vikings were able to finish 11th in total offense this season. His coaching job has allowed him to become the next head coach for the New York Giants.

Perhaps the biggest similarity that the Eagles and Vikings share is their goal of reaching Super Bowl LII. One team will achieve that goal on Sunday.