Eagles put it all together in romp

PHILADELPHIA – A dance party broke out on the sideline.

Eagles players bobbed up and down to the beat of a Meek Mill rap, waving white towels and clutching their helmets, pumping their fists in the air. This scene — just 42 days after star quarterback Carson Wentz tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a Week 14 game — seemed improbable.

Yet here it was. The NFC Championship Game still had 14 minutes and 10 seconds of life, but in reality, it was over.

The Eagles demolished the No. 2 seed Minnesota Vikings 38-7 and booked their third trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history, their first since the 2004 season. In Minneapolis on Feb. 4, they will meet the New England Patriots, who earlier Sunday beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This was a mastery from Philadelphia. Aggressive play calling mixed run-pass options for which Minnesota had no answer. A relentless pass rush smothered the Vikings offense and forced turnovers. When facing third downs, the Eagles converted time and time again. And when Minnesota made mistakes, they were costly.

Mostly rushing four players, the Eagles sacked Case Keenum once and hit him four times before halftime.

Defensive end Chris Long in the first quarter dashed off the edge and smacked Keenum’s hand as he attempted a pass. The ball wobbled out of his hand and into those of cornerback Patrick Robinson, who cradled the interception, broke tackles and scampered across the field for a 50-yard touchdown.

The second was a second-quarter strip sack — after the Vikings had marched to the Philadelphia 16-yard line — from rookie defensive end Derek Barnett, recovered by Long. Minnesota had been one of six teams that did not commit a turnover inside the red zone in the regular season. The Vikings had three giveaways on the night while Philadelphia had none.

Seven plays later, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles found a wide-open Alshon Jeffery streaking down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown.

One quarter later, coach Doug Pederson kept his foot on the gas. Despite holding a 17-point lead, he dialed up a flea flicker. It went 41 yards to receiver Torrey Smith for another score.

Foles, a player who had been inconsistent since replacing Wentz, was clinical. He completed 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards with three touchdowns.

One area in particular that proved challenging in his filling in for Wentz was third-down conversions. Against the Vikings, Foles led Philly to first downs on 10 of its 14 third-down conversions.

By the time the Eagles held a 31point lead early in the fourth, the crowd chanted “WE WANT BRADY” over and over again, referencing New England’s star quarterback.

Now, 13 years after Brady beat them in Super Bowl XXXIX, they’ll get just that.