NFC Championship: Minnesota Vikings Vs. Philadelphia Eagles Info

Call it the "Minneapolis Miracle." Down 23-24 with 10 seconds remaining in the game on third down with no timeouts, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum heaved a deep pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs jumped to catch it. On his way down, he somehow both stayed inbounds and avoided New Orleans safety Marcus Williams on his way to a 61-yard touchdown.

Everyone watching was stunned. It was the first NFL playoff game to end in regulation with a game-winning touchdown as the time expires.

"I don’t know what the percentage was, but just tried to give the guy a chance and he made an awesome play," Keenum told the media afterwards. “I couldn’t believe what was happening. It was awesome.”

The Vikings move on to play the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in the NFC Championship. If the Vikings win, they'll be the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Championship Sunday

Championship Sunday begins with the AFC title game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. The Patriots defeated Tennessee 35-14 in the Divisional round and the Jaguars knocked off Pittsburgh 45-42.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the Vikings knocked off New Orleans 29-24 and the Eagles defeated Atlanta 15-10.

Both Philadelphia and Jacksonville completed “worst-to-first” turnarounds. At least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 14 of the past 15 seasons.

The Eagles and Jaguars are the first “worst-to-first” teams since the 2009 New Orleans Saints to advance to the Championship Gam­­­e.

Three of the remaining four clubs – Philadelphia, Minnesota and Jacksonville – missed the postseason in 2016. This is the first time since 2008 in which three of the four teams in the Championship Games missed the playoffs in the previous season.

Field conditions and weather

The Eagles re-sodded the field this week after some slick spots appeared in last week's game against the Falcons, ESPN reports. "The field is in great shape," coach Doug Pederson told the sports network.

According to the National Weather Service, it will be mostly cloudy with a low around 37 and a high around 49 in Philadelphia Sunday. No rain.

Stats to keep in mind for Vikings-Eagles

• The Eagles and Vikings will meet in the postseason for the fourth time. Philadelphia has won the previous three meetings, including the last matchup in the 2008 Wild Card round which the Eagles won 26-14.
• The all-time series between the clubs is tied 13-13 (including the postseason). The teams last played in Week 7, 2016 (October 23) with the Eagles winning 21-10.

• Minnesota will play in the team’s 10th NFL/NFC Championship Game. The Vikings are 4-5 in the club’s previous nine appearances. This marks the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game since 2009 (January 24, 2010 at New Orleans).
• The Vikings are aiming to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in the team’s home stadium.
• Diggs had six catches for 137 yards and a touchdown against the Saints.
• Keenum, who set career-highs in attempts (481), completions (325), completion percentage (67.6), yards (3,547), touchdowns (22) and passer rating (98.3) in the regular season, passed for 318 yards in his first career postseason start.
• Running backs Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon each rushed for a touchdown in last week’s victory.
• The Vikings, who led the NFL in total defense (275.9 yards per game) in the regular season, recorded two sacks and two interceptions against the Saints. Safety Harrison Smith and defensive end Everson Griffen each had a sack while linebacker Anthony Barr and safety Andrew Sendejo recorded the interceptions.
• Minnesota captured the NFC North for the second time in the past three seasons and earned a first-round bye for the first time since 2009. The team’s 13 regular-season wins are the most since 1998 when the club went 15-1.
• The Vikings had four players selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl: linebacker Barr, defensive end Griffen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and wide receiver Adam Theilen

• Philadelphia has advanced to its 11th NFL/NFC Championship Game and the Eagles are 5-5 in the team’s previous 10 appearances. This is the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game since 2008 (January 18, 2009 at Arizona) and the first in Philadelphia since 2004 (January 23, 2005 vs. Atlanta) when the Eagles advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX.
• The Eagles defeated Atlanta 15-10 last week in the Divisional Playoffs. Philadelphia’s defense stopped Atlanta on fourth-and-goal from the Eagles’ two-yard line with 58 seconds remaining, only the third postseason game in the past 50 years in which the winning team prevented a go-ahead TD in the game’s final two minutes with a fourth-and-goal stop.
• Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles completed 23 of 30 passes (76.7 percent) against the Falcons and recorded a 100.1 passer rating. Foles has registered a 100+ passer rating in both career postseason starts (105 in Wild Card playoff against New Orleans on January 4, 2014) and joined Donovan McNabb (three) as the only Eagles to have multiple postseason games with a 100+ passer rating. Foles has a 102.7 career passer rating in the postseason.
• Eagles running back Le Garrette Blount rushed for a touchdown last week and has nine rushing touchdowns in his postseason career, tied for the most among active players. Running back Jay Ajayi had 98 scrimmage yards (54 rushing, 44 receiving) against the Falcons.
• The Eagles tied a franchise record with 13 regular-season wins (2004) and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the fourth time since 2002.
• Three Eagles had at least eight touchdown receptions this season: wide receivers Alshon Jeffrey (nine) and Nelson Agholor (eight) and tight end Zach Ertz (eight).
• Philadelphia had six players selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl: guard Brandon Brooks, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, tight end Ertz, safety Malcom Jenkins, tackle Lane Johnson and quarterback Carson Wentz

Here's what you need to know for the Vikings-Eagles game on Sunday, Jan 21.

Kickoff time: Sunday, Jan. 21, 5:40 p.m. central

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA.

TV: FOX

Radio: KFAN (FM 100.3)

Philadelphia Sunday night forecast: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35 and a high around 49. No rain.

Tickets: Find Vikings tickets on NFL Ticket Exchange.

Odds: The Vikings are favored by 3.5 points over the Eagles, according to Vegas Insider.

Photo credit: Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) runs to the end zone for a game winning touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL divisional football playoff game in Minneapolis, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. The Vikings defeated the Saints 29-24. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)