It all comes down to this game in the NFC. The Minnesota Vikings will hit the road on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, with a spot in Super Bowl Lii on the line. Both teams will be playing with guys who started the season as backups at the quarterback position, but who have both earned their team's respect in recent weeks. In fact, both Case Keenum and Nick Foles were teammates on the Los Angeles Rams a couple years back, adding even more intrigue to this matchup.
How the Eagles got here
The Philadelphia Eagles were the hottest team in the NFC for most of the season, as they showed they could get the job done on both sides of the ball.
Second-year quarterback Carson Wentz played at an MVP-level for most of the season, but was injured late in the regular season, ending his year. The team was forced to turn to Foles, who is a very capable backup quarterback, but was never able to hang onto the job of a starter in his career.
With Foles under center, the Eagles continued to win, and locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That meant that the road to the Super Bowl would go through the City of Brotherly Love in the NFC, and they took care of business in the Divisional Round. The Eagles were considered the underdog against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend, but their defense pitched a shutout in the second half, leading them to the Nfc Championship Game on Sunday.
How the Vikings got here
Coming into the 2017 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings were a team that had a lot of promise. Quarterback Sam Bradford looked good in his first season with the team in 2016, and rooking running back Dalvin Cook looked to have the talent to replace Adrian Peterson, who was released by the team in the offseason.
Cook got off to a stellar start, looking like an NFC Rookie of the Year candidate, but a knee injury ended his season. Bradford's balky knees would also end his season, as the team turned to Case Keenum to lead them the rest of the way.
Keenum was not asked to do much early on, as he was supposed to just be a game manager, but he has played well above those expectations.
In fact, Keenum played at an MVP-level for part of the season, and it was his miracle throw to Stefon Diggs as time expired that got the Vikings into the NFC title game. Diggs caught a 61-yard pass from Keenum with no time left in regulation, stunning the visiting New Orleans Saints, and forever etching both Keenum and Diggs' name in Vikings history.
So who wins?
This is a tough game to gauge, as both teams have some solid talent on both sides of the ball. The Vikings defense has played at an elite level all season, and are led by a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Zimmer. With a win on Sunday, the Vikings would actually head home for the Super Bowl, as it will be played inside their home stadium, U.S.
Bank Stadium. This is going to be a tight one, but the Vikings should be able to do just enough on offense to win this by a close margin late.
It has been a stellar season for the Eagles, and with Wentz back healthy in 2018, they should be able to make another run towards the Super Bowl. Their miracle season will end in front of their home fans on Sunday, but it will not be for lack of effort. Look for their defense to step up big-time against the Vikings, as it would not be surprising at all to see both teams fail to reach the 20-point mark in this one.
Final Score
Vikings 21 Eagles 17
