Nick Foles Vs. Case Kennum: The NFC Championship's Poetic Drama

PHILADELPHIA, PA — If you had told an NFL analyst in September that the Eagles and the Vikings would meet for the NFC Championship without Carson Wentz or Sam Bradford on the field, you would've been met with open-mouthed stares and an offer for a lucrative bet.

Even with Wentz and Bradford healthy, this matchup wasn't supposed to happen. Most preseason projections had the Eagles and the Vikings each winning about eight games, with the near universal consensus being that both teams would miss the playoffs. Of course, both teams defied the odds in huge ways, each going 13-3, each winning their respective divisions, each earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and now, finally, each advancing to the NFC Championship game this Sunday in Philadelphia.

And yet it has been a labyrinthine series of events that has brought together two backup quarterbacks - Nick Foles, 28, and Case Keenum, 29, - and placed them on the brink of the biggest stage in all of sports. This comprehensive tweet from beat writer Zach Berman attempts to get a handle on the serendipity that caused it all.

"Eagles traded N. Foles to Rams for S. Bradford. Foles lost his job in St. Louis, C. Keenum takes over. Eagles draft C. Wentz and trade Bradford to Minn. Vikings sign Keenum, who replaces injured Bradford. Foles returns to Philly, replaces injured Wentz. Now, Foles vs. Keenum."

It all began in May of 2015: the Eagles traded Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for former number one overall pick Sam Bradford, who would be their starting quarterback that year. Under Chip Kelly, the Eagles would have mediocre results, finishing 7-9 and out of the playoff hunt.

Foles, meanwhile, struggled that year with the Rams, and was replaced by none other than second-stringer Case Keenum.

In 2016, the Eagles took Carson Wentz second overall in the NFL Draft. Having no need for Bradford, they turned around and traded him to the Vikings. Keenum was a free agent, and the Vikings signed him as their backup behind Bradford. Prior to the 2017 season, the Eagles signed back Foles, a free agent, as Wentz's backup.

Early in the 2017 season, however, Bradford went down with a knee injury, and the Vikings turned the ball over to Keenum. Keenum posted a stellar 69.5 QB rating, leading the Vikings to their 13-3 season. Wentz, meanwhile, led the Eagles to the majority of their 2017 victories, before an ACL injury ended his campaign in December. He was perhaps the best quarterback in the NFL before he went down, leading the league with a 75.7 rating. That's when Foles took the reigns.

As cruel and unforgiving as sports can be, especially football, the story of Foles and Keenum defying the odds as underdogs is so unique as to seem almost scripted. No one expected the Eagles or the Vikings to make it to the NFC Championship, and no one expected either team to succeed without their starters. Nonetheless, when all is said and done on Sunday evening, Foles or Keenum will be responsible for guiding their team to Super Bowl LII.

AP Photo/Chris Szagola