FOLES AND EAGLES WINGING IT TO SUPER BOWL IN FINE STYLE
Backup QB becomes surprise hero as he shreds Vikings defence in NFC title game
For everything he did to set the Eagles on this flight path, Carson Wentz would have drawn consideration as the league’s MVP had he not gone down in December.
That torn ACL was also supposed to cripple Philadelphia’s Super Bowl chances.
But as we know, things don’t often go as expected outside of New England.
“Who would have thought there’d be a quarterback controversy next season?” one reporter sarcastically said in the press box at Lincoln Financial Field in the third quarter Sunday night.
Probably not, but Nick Foles is certainly the surprise hero of the moment.
The 29-year old backup was outstanding in a 38-7 destruction of the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL’s No. 1 defence that puts the Eagles into the Super Bowl for just the third time — and first since a 24-21 loss in SB XXXIX to the New England Patriots.
Thirty-eight years later, the Eagles get a chance for some payback when they face the Pats at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Feb. 4. Somehow, the atmosphere just won’t be the same as it would have been had the Vikings built off the Minneapolis Miracle that eliminated the Saints last week.
But that matters not to a city that was buzzing all day and hit an eardrum-shattering crescendo at The Linc.
The Eagles defence also stepped up, intercepting two Case Keenum passes (one for a touchdown) and causing a fumble that led to three more points. The other ‘D’ played by the Eagles was the disrespect card. For the second straight week, their 13-3 regular season record earned them no love from the oddsmakers. For the second straight week, they were 3½-point underdogs, prompting an outbreak in the sales of dog masks.
Not everybody was buying the underdog thing. Preparing for post-game celebrations earlier in the day, Philadelphia city workers were greasing light standards and sign poles with Crisco with the purpose of preventing jubilant fans from climbing them.
The self-dubbed “Crisco Cops” likely prevented falls almost as painful as the one the Vikings took off Cloud Nine.
Foles completed 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards, including two touchdown passes to Alshon Jeffery and another to Torrey Smith.
The clock struck midnight on Vikes QB Case Keenum, who completed 28 of 48 for 271 yards and was picked off twice.
The Eagles defensive highlights started the second time the unit stepped on the field,
Minnesota made it look easy with the game’s first possession, mostly running through the best ground defence in the league with a nine-play drive that ended when Keenum feathered a 25-yard touchdown pass into the hands of Kyle Rudolph.
The crowd that was supposed to make it difficult for the Vikings offence to communicate was momentarily stunned.
Philadelphia’s ‘D’ toughened up after that.
On a turning point play next time Keenum had the ball, he was pressured and contacted by Chris Long, one of the culprits guilty of starting the dog masks fad. The heat melted Keenum’s throw, intended for Adam Thielen, well short of the target, right to waiting cornerback Patrick Robinson.
With the interception, Robinson started up the left sideline then got creative, cutting directly across the field into open space. When he crossed the line with a 50-yard pick six, Robinson was just inside the orange marker on the right side.
Foles, who operated out of the shotgun and wasn’t able to get going with his first set of downs, found his rhythm with the second.
He orchestrated a march of 12 plays, covered 75 yards and ate 6:20 off the clock. The end result was a hard and heavy 11-yard scoring run off the tackle and up the gut by LeGarrette Blount. That made it 14-7, underdogs. Keenum’s next chance was cut short by another turnover, this time at the Philadelphia 24 on a strip sack by end Derek Barnett that created a fumble that was recovered by Long.
Foles took full advantage of the opportunity.
The Vikings defence continued to pose no challenge to an attack directed by Wentz’ backup, who was making just his fifth start of the season. Foles was poised as he stood in the pocket long enough for the Minnesota secondary to fall asleep and leave Jeffery wide open to grab a 53-yard bomb. Dogs were up 21-7.
Foles was able to wring out three more points before the intermission, getting in Jake Elliott range in the last half-minute with the help of Jay Ajayi’s running and Zach Ertz, who was the game’s leading receiver at the mid-point with five grabs for 76 yards.
Foles and the defence put to rest any hope the Vikings had of getting back into the game in the third quarter. First, a 41-yard TD pass to Torrey Smith pushed the lead to 31-7. Then, after Keenum moved the Vikings into scoring range, the Eagles defence made a stand on fourth and seven — although it looked like Adam Thielen had made a spectacular TD grab before replays showed the ball hit the ground.
Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Bud Grant remains the lone sideline boss to get the Vikings to the Super Bowl — which he did four times between 1969-76 — and now it will be up to the New Orleans Saints to become the first team to play for the title on its own field when next season’s game is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Vikings have now lost their last six conference championship games. But then, the way they were manhandled by the Eagles should come as no surprise, either — teams playing after a walk off win in the playoffs were 0-5 entering this game, with 23 points as the average margin of defeat.