Eagles Win NFC Championship, Will Face Patriots In Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Eagles are returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in 13 years, drubbing the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 on Sunday and setting up a rematch of the 2005 championship against the New England Patriots.

Other than an opening scoring drive from the Vikings, the Eagles were almost instantly dominant. Nick Foles led the way, throwing for four completions over 35 yards, slicing through the oft-potent Minnesota offense.

Turnovers were also crucial in giving the Eagles an early advantage, as Patrick Robinson returned a Case Keenum interception for a touchdown, and the Birds scored again following a rare Keenum fumble. This time it was a 53-yard toss by Foles, who just barely managed to escape a sack, making it 21-7 just before the end of the half.

And that's where it could've ended, but after a brief Vikings drive failed, Foles brought the Eagles back to within field goal range with just seconds remaining, and Jake Elliot nailed a 38-yard field goal to make it 24-7 at half. Though ultimately insignificant in the final score, those three points provided crushing momentum for a surging Eagles squad, who burst out in the second half with yet another touchdown.

The Vikings struggled to gain momentum throughout the game. A significant drive in the third quarter ended inside the Eagles 10-yard line when the Birds stopped the Vikings on fourth down. Keenum, so stellar in the regular season, was constantly kept off balance. Another drive into the Eagles red zone in the fourth quarter ended in an interception.

Foles completed 26 of 33 passes for a total of 352 yards en route to the the Birds' second straight underdog playoff victory.

They will be underdogs yet again heading into Super Bowl 52, where they will battle the New England Patriots. On Sunday, the The Patriots came from behind late and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20. The Patriots are currently 5.5 point favorites, according to OddsShark.com.

This will mark the third Patriots Super Bowl appearance in the last four years, and their eighth under the reign of quarterback Tom Brady. The Pats are also the defending champs after defeating the Atlanta Falcons last year Super Bowl 51, and have won five rings under Brady, now age 40, since he took over in 2002.

This will be the Eagles third Super Bowl appearance, following losses in 2005 and 1980. They remain one of the 13 NFL franchises that has never won on the sport's biggest stage.

A roaring sell-out Philadelphia crowd at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday included numerous sports-world luminaries, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, MLB All Star and New Jersey native Mike Trout, and former Phillies star Ryan Howard.

The Super Bowl will be played at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. and will air on NBC.

See also:

• NFC Championship Preview: Eagles Vs. Vikings
• Nick Foles Vs. Case Kennum: The NFC Championship's Poetic Drama

This story will be updated.

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky