Flashback Friday: The Philadelphia Eagles put a hurting on the Vikings
After barely escaping with a win over the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles met the Vikings and made a statement.
Before the 2018 NFL Playoffs began, the Philadelphia Eagles were the underdogs. Everyone doubted them. Even after defeating the Atlanta Falcons, the Eagles were still hearing the disrespect. Heading into the NFC Championship game, the Minnesota Vikings were predicted to walk all over the Birds.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. In fact, it was the other way around. Philly delivered with a night to remember. The memories will last with us forever
Let’s take a look back.
Nick Foles was lights out.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles didn’t have a chance to really showcase his arm during the divisional round of the playoffs. That wasn’t the case during the NFC Championship Game.
Foles was near perfect in his performance against the Minnesota Vikings. He threw for 352 yards, completed 26 of his 33 passing attempts, and he also threw three touchdowns.
While many NFL fans were surprised by Foles’ performance, Eagles fans had seen this type of performance from their signal caller in the past.
In 2013, Foles had an MVP-type season. ‘Saint Nick’ threw for 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns in just 13 games. He also threw a record-tying seven touchdowns in a single game that season.
See, to Philly’s fans, Foles’ NFC Championship performance was something everyone knew he was capable of.
Minnesota’s offense falls flat.
The Vikings jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter when Case Keenum hit his tight end Kyle Rudolph on a 25-yard passing touchdown. That strike came with around ten minutes left to play in the first quarter.
The breath was momentarily taken out of everyone. For a second, past NFC Championship Game failures crept into the minds of the Philly faithful, but no one on the current roster was a part of those failures. The current roster had something else in mind.
Rudolph’s touchdown would be the first and final touchdown Minnesota would score during the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings’ offense didn’t have an answer for Philly’s defense, and Minnesota’s defense didn’t have much of an answer for what was going on when ‘The Birds’ had the ball either.
The Eagles’ defense forced for three Minnesota turnovers, two interceptions and a fumble on a strip-sack of Keenum. The first of those interceptions was the turning point of the game.
Trailing by seven early in the ball game, Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson picked off Keenum, and weaved his way threw traffic for a fifty-yard return, all the way to the end zone.
That score not only leveled the playing field, it evened the score and shifted the momentum back in Philly’s direction. The Vikings were never able to recover.
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The Eagles advance to their first Super Bowl in over a decade.
The Eagles made history with their victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Philly not only proved that they were anything but underdogs. They proved they were a worthy opponent for the New England Patriots.
Philly defeated Minnesota by a huge margin, one that no one could have predicted. The Eagles won the NFC Championship game by a score of 38-7, and they advanced to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2004.
Take a look at the highlights:
Video courtesy of the NFL’s YouTube page
Stat Leaders
Philadelphia
Passing: Foles (QB) 26-33, 352 YDS, 3 TD
Rushing: Jay Ajayi (RB): 18 CAR, 73 YDS
Receiving: Zach Ertz (WR): 8 REC, 93 YDS
Minnesota
Passing: Keenum (QB): 28-48, 271 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jerick McKinnon (RB): 10 CAR, 40 YDS
Receiving: Jerick Mckinnon: (RB) 11 REC, 86 YDS