NFC Championship Preview: Eagles Vs. Vikings

PHIALDELPHIA, PA — All season long, it seems, the Philadelphia Eagles have been underdogs. And each time they've prevailed. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of their first Super Bowl appearance in 14 years is a Sunday evening battle with the Minnesota Vikings for the right to lay claim to the NFC Championship.

It's a matchup no football analysts expected heading into the season, and which very few expected even at the outset of the playoffs. With mere seconds remaining in both Divisional Playoff games last weekend, it appeared that it would be the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints advancing, respectively, to this game.

However, the Eagles defense prevailed, and the Vikings pulled off the "Minneapolis Miracle" that will go down in the record books, earning a win in the game's final moments. Here's a look at what you need to know heading into Sunday's big game.

Championship Sunday and Catching Up On Last Week

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 2017. 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.

Quarterback Serendipity

The Eagles' Nick Foles and the Vikings' Case Keenum share an unusually intertwined history. Both are backup quarterbacks replacing starters Carson Wentz and Sam Bradford. Both have been doubted. Both have prevailed - Keenum miraculously so, putting in All Pro-esque numbers after Bradford was lost in the beginning of the year. Take a deeper glance into the poetic drama of this quarterback matchup here.

History

Since the NFL began it's modern configuration, the Eagles have won the NFC Championship twice: in 1980 under Dick Vermeil, and in 2004 under Andy Reid. On both occasions they went on to lose the Super Bowl. They remain one of the 13 NFL franchises that has never won on the sport's biggest stage.

However, they've gotten close. They lost the NFC Championship game four times in the 2000s decade: 2001 to the Rams, 2002 to the Buccaneers, 2003 to the Panthers, and 2008 to the Cardinals.

Dating back to the earlier years of the NFL, before the Super Bowl, the Eagles are 5-5 all-time in the game.

Quick Facts To Know

Philadelphia

Eagles 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.

Minnesota

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. TheVikings, 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.

10 All Pro Players

The Eagles 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. The Vikings, meanwhile, had four players selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl: linebacker Barr, defensive end Griffen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and wide receiver Adam Theilen.

As Super Bowl 52 will be hosted in Minnesota, if the Vikings win, they would become the first team to ever host the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

All-time series record: The series is tied, 13-13, according to The Football Database.

Last matchup: On Oct. 23, 2016, the Eagles defeated the Vikings, 21-10.

Playoff history: 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.

Kickoff: 6:40 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21. Kickoff show begins at 6 p.m.

TV: Fox

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Odds: The Vikings are 3 point favorites over the Eagles, according to OddsShark

Tickets

Still thinking of attending? Tickets remain available, however, the cheapest options are $556 a pop on Ticketmaster, $510 at Stubhub, and $592 on VividSeats, as of early Friday morning.

For those curious, here's how ticket sales this year compare to previous NFC Championships:

Lincoln Financial Field Information

For tailgating information. see here.

For parking details and rules, see here.

With reporting from Patch correspondent William Bornhoft

AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File