Defense to decide NFC title game
PHILADELPHIA » When Eagles Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox watches film of the Minnesota Vikings, who take on the Eagles Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, he sees a rookie center standing in the way.
Third-round draft pick Pat Elflein, and a few other changes, have transformed a very ordinary Vikings line into division champions.
“I think, honestly, he’s probably one of their best O-linemen,” Cox said Thursday. “I’ve watched him, and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s really competitive. He’s got an edge about him. I’m looking forward to going against him.”
Two-time Pro Bowl tackle Cox is coming off his most dominant game of the season. The 6-4, 310-pounder notched a seasonhigh seven tackles, including a sack of Matt Ryan, and two tackles for loss to spark the Eagles to a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round last week at the Linc.
Defense, as Cox correctly predicted it, decided that game. And he says it will be the same deal this weekend. It won’t be easy for the Vikings, what with 68,000 screaming fans, thousands in dog masks, making it impossible for upstart Vikings quarterback Case Keenum to verbally communicate with receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.
“They’ll be going on silent
count,” Cox said. “They’ll have things that they’ve worked on during the week. But when we’re keyed on the ball and getting off, it’s hard for the quarterback to make checks. It’s hard for the center to point protection and all those type of things. So, it’s really an advantage for us.”
Cox played 57 snaps last week, a handful less than the 62 he appeared in to help the Eagles defeat the Oakland Raiders and win the No. 1 seed in the NFC a few weeks prior.
The Vikings have watched that film as well as the division win.
“I loved him coming out and was drafted by the Eagles,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said on a conference call. “He’s strong, physical and he’s got great quickness. In the four-down linemen scheme, those inside pass rushers are extremely valuable and he is an outstanding player. He’s good against the run, he’s good in the passing game. He’s got great quickness, good hands, good strength and power. And I think that’s what makes him good.”
Cox will play 80 snaps if that’s what it takes to dispose of the No. 2 seed Vikings and reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2004 season. The Vikings, by the way, are 3 ½-point favorites.
“The disrespect just continues,” Cox said. “For us to be the No. 1 seed and to have this championship game come through the Linc, what more respect do you want? At the end of the day, respect isn’t giving. You have to go out and take and we’ve been doing that all year.”
Cox can count on getting double-teamed by a combination of Elflein (6-2, 301) and guards Jeremiah Sirles (6-6, 315) and Joe Berger (65, 305), the latter of whom is 35. They’ve done a good job of protecting Keenum, who has enough quickness to escape when the pocket breaks down.
Keenum threw 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in the regular season. He also averaged 4.0 yards per rush and ran for a score entering the postseason. Cox and the Eagles know he’s elusive, having watched him get away from the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round. They also know he has confidence from heaving a 61-yard walk-off scoring pass to Diggs eliminating the Saints.
“He’s slippery,” Cox said of Keenum. “He reminds me a little bit of Russell Wilson. When I say that, he moves around and throws the ball, or he’ll tuck it and run. I see him duck a lot with guys just reaching for and he slips out of people’s hands. I think we have to do a great job of pushing the pocket and making him uncomfortable then getting him on the ground when we need to.”
Keenum threw an interception enabling the Saints to come back and take the lead in their divisional playoff game. He could have thrown a couple more. Look for Eagles cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby to get physical with Diggs and Thielen, and for Birds linebacker Nigel Bradham to defend tight end Kyle Rudolph (6-6, 265).
How those matchups go probably won’t decide the game, though. Not the way Cox sees it. The Vikings defensive line factors into it. Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen, who has 14 sacks, nose tackle Linval Joseph (64, 323), defensive tackle Tom Johnson (6-3, 280) and left end Danielle Hunter (6-5, 252) are the main men there.
“It’s going to come down is our D-line better than theirs?” Cox said. “They have a dominant D-line, we have a dominant D-line and we’ll see who shows up on Sunday.”