Eagles destroy Vikings to punch Super Bowl 52 ticket

With a spot in Super Bowl LII on the line, the Philadelphia Eagles battled the Minnesota Vikings inside Lincoln Financial in the NFC Championship Game.

The Philadelphia Eagles locked up the No.1 seed in the NFC this past regular season thanks to the play of starting quarterback Carson Wentz. With Wentz out for the season with a knee injury, the team has been Nick Foles’, and on Sunday, he got off to a hot start in the NFC Championship Game. Foles led his Eagles to a 24-7 halftime lead, thanks to some timely passing, and incredible feel in the pocket.

The Minnesota Vikings came into Lincoln Financial looking to get off on the right foot, and they certainly did, getting out to a 7-0 lead on a Case Keenum to Kyle Rudolph touchdown connection. However, that would be the only scoring they would do for the rest of the first half, as the Eagles defense forced two big turnovers, with one in their own territory.

Philadelphia got a big interception returned for a touchdown to open their scoring, as Patrick Robinson rumbled 50 yards for the score. The Eagles got their first offensive touchdown thanks to LeGarrette Blount, who rushed 11 yards through the Vikings to give Philadelphia their first lead of the game. Foles then hit Alshon Jeffery on a 53-yard bomb under pressure, as the Eagles absolutely dominated through the first two frames.

The half ended when Foles hit Zach Ertz on a 36-yard connection, which set up Jake Elliott’s 38-yard field goal attempt. The three-pointer was good, and the Eagles went into halftime with a huge lead, and getting the ball back to start the second half.

The Eagles wasted no time putting it on the Vikings in the second half, as they scored 14 more unanswered points in the third quarter. Foles laid a perfect throw into the arms of Torrey Smith for the first touchdown, which was a 41-yard connection. Then, the Birds went up 38-7 on Jeffery’s second touchdown catch of the game, as fans inside Lincoln Financial went absolutely nuts.

With the win, Philadelphia will head to Minnesota to take on the New England Patriots, who beat the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the day. It was be a Super Bowl LII matchup between five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and former backup Nick Foles at quarterback. The Eagles will likely be the underdog in that game as well, but as they have shown so far in the playoffs, that does not matter much to  them.

Highlights

Betting Odds

The Eagles were actually home dogs in this one, as they were during the Divisional Round. Philadelphia was getting three points from the visiting Vikings, and they could have given back 30 of them. The over/under was set at 39.0 points, mostly due to the fact both offenses have struggled at times. The final score was a blowout win for the Eagles, who could have gotten the over by themselves.  This line will changed a lot throughout the week, so make sure to always head over to OddsShark.com for any changes up until kickoff.

Three Stars

1. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles began the season as Carson Wentz’s backup, and nobody expected him to be the one to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl. On Sunday, Foles had arguably the best game of his career, as he absolutely picked apart a very strong Minnesota Vikings defense. If he plays like that against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, the Eagles may be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.

2. Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles picked up Alshon Jeffery this past offseason to give Wentz more targets on the outside, though on Sunday, he became a favorite of Nick Foles. Jeffery found the end zone twice against the Vikings, showing the kind of big-game ability the Eagles were hoping he would bring to the organization. He will certainly be a key focus of the Patriots gameplan in the Super Bowl, but he will likely make his mark on that game as well.

3. Jerrick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings

It is hard to pick a Vikings player for one of these honors, but Jerrick McKinnon was really the only member of their offense to step up on Sunday. McKinnon was featured in both the passing, and running game, showing why he is one of the better scatbacks in football. With Dalvin Cook returning in 2018, McKinnon’s role will likely be diminished, but he put his stamp on this game.

Next: 2018 Senior Bowl: 5 players to watch

Next Game

The matchup for Super Bowl LII is set, as the Philadelphia Eagles punched their ticket to the big dance on Sunday night. The Eagles will head to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota to take on the New England Patriots, who beat the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the day. It will be an incredible matchup, and while they will have to deal with Tom Brady, they may have the talent on defense to win it all.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow