Philadelphia Eagles: Who are the unsung heroes of the playoffs?

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, LT

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, also known as “Big V” has had a roller coaster of a season. The Eagles never quite had the intentions of making him a starter, but when he was called upon he sure stepped up in a big way. Sure, we have seen Big V struggle at times this season. Without Stefen Wisniewski by his side, he didn’t seem as dominant at times.

Let’s give credit when it’s due, though. Vaitai has been a force up front in the post-season. In fact, just last week he shut down one of the most dominant pass rushers coming out of the 2017 season. Viking’s defensive end, Everson Griffen came into Philadelphia with 14 sacks on his stat sheet. He left out the NFC Championship game with zero to add.

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The matchup going into last week’s game that worried most people was the one with Vaitai and Griffen. But Vaitai’s stand-up performance made Nick Foles’ day a lot easier in the pocket. To say the Eagles offensive line has been dominant would be an understatement. Even though people view Vaitai as the weakest link on the Eagles O-Line, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is weak. His post-season performance gives the Eagles offense a ton of confidence as they head into Minnesota for Super Bowl LII.