Posted June 10, 20205 yr N.F.C. Championship Game Prediction: Eagles or Vikings? Quote https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/sports/nfc-championship-prediction.html By Benjamin Hoffman Jan. 17, 2018 The Eagles were labeled a top contender early on this season, while the Vikings took longer to convince doubters of their worth, but both teams find themselves competing this week in the N.F.C. Championship game for a chance to play in Super Bowl LII, which will be held in Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium on Feb. 4. Here is what you can expect in the conference championship: No. 2 Minnesota at No. 1 Philadelphia 6:40 p.m. Eastern, Fox Line: Minnesota by 3 The Vikings’ season was basically over. There were 10 seconds left in their divisional round matchup against New Orleans, they were at their own 39-yard line, they had no timeouts remaining and they were down by a point. A 61-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs changed everything, and brought back the possibility of a team playing at home in the Super Bowl for the first time in N.F.L. history. It is hard to say how the Vikings (13-3) will react to being brought back from the dead, but it seems like it is bad news for the Eagles (13-3), who had been trying to turn their upset win over Atlanta into something resembling momentum. When they are not winning games with thrilling 61-yard touchdown passes, the Vikings are really not all that dissimilar to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Keenum is a low-risk, moderate-reward style of quarterback, the team relies on its receivers to take care of the bulk of the work after the catch rather than before it, and they punish teams with a defense that is strong on each level. Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs could hardly believe it after they combined for a game-winning 61-yard touchdown in the closing seconds of the Vikings’ divisional round win over the Saints.Credit...Craig Lassig/European Pressphoto Agency Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph wreak havoc on the defensive line, but the crown jewel of Minnesota’s defense is its secondary, where Xavier Rhodes and Andrew Sendejo are top-notch but Harrison Smith is a nearly singular talent. A Pro Bowl safety, Smith was rated by Pro Football Focus as not just the best player at his position in the game, but the top player at any position. Philadelphia, up until Carson Wentz’s injury, could nearly match the Vikings unit for unit. They have a devastating pass-rush led by Fletcher Cox, a three-headed beast of a running game, and they were a top-five team in both points scored and fewest points allowed. But regardless of how happy they were to turn their underdog status against Atlanta into motivation for a win, their play hardly inspired confidence. Nick Foles dinked and dunked his way to a high completion percentage, and the key play of Philadelphia’s victory required one of the greatest wide receivers who ever played the game — Julio Jones — not to catch a ball thrown to him in the end zone. Unless Foles can somehow locate the explosiveness he showed in 2013, it is hard to believe the Vikings’ path to the Super Bowl is not clear. Pick: Vikings Correction: Jan. 18, 2018 An earlier version of this article included a link that misstated the teams in the A.F.C. Championship Game. It is the Patriots and Jaguars, not the Eagles and Falcons. Pick is not against the spread.
June 11, 20205 yr I don't know why... Call me crazy... Maybe I'm looking at this with my Eagles tinted glasses on but I truly believe we are going to run riot against Minnesota. After a first drive TD I don't think we will give Minny another inch.
June 11, 20205 yr I was nervous as hell before that game. I thought we could (&should) win, but still nervous as hell. Who could forget PRob's INT returned for a TD!? That was only the 1st quarter, but winning felt like a foregone conclusion after that.
June 13, 20205 yr One of my favorite aspects of this game was the vast difference between Pederson and Marrone on display. Marrone had 55 seconds and two timeouts to work with going into the half and just sat content. Doug had 24 seconds if I remember correctly, and worse field position, but wasn’t content, and was rewarded with 3 more points for his efforts.
June 13, 20205 yr 13 hours ago, EagleJoe8 said: One of my favorite aspects of this game was the vast difference between Pederson and Marrone on display. Marrone had 55 seconds and two timeouts to work with going into the half and just sat content. Doug had 24 seconds if I remember correctly, and worse field position, but wasn’t content, and was rewarded with 3 more points for his efforts. Zimmer?
June 13, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, time2rock said: Zimmer? No no, talking about Doug Marrone in the AFCCG earlier in the day had a similar situation where the Jags had a nice lead and momentum in NE, and Marrone sat on 55 seconds and 2 timeouts, and decent FP from what I recall, but just felt content with the lead. It was a big indicator of how Doug Marrone couldn't overcome the Pats, and Pederson ultimately did.
June 13, 20205 yr Author 52 minutes ago, EagleJoe8 said: No no, talking about Doug Marrone in the AFCCG earlier in the day had a similar situation where the Jags had a nice lead and momentum in NE, and Marrone sat on 55 seconds and 2 timeouts, and decent FP from what I recall, but just felt content with the lead. It was a big indicator of how Doug Marrone couldn't overcome the Pats, and Pederson ultimately did. I have Doug's book (audio book), and he says in it that he watched the AFCCG and was yelling at the screen as the final minute or so was running out. So I'm quite sure that in the final 2 minutes, Doug (Pederson) was thinking of how the Jags screwed the pooch in their game. At the 2 minute warning, our score was 14-7. By the time those 2 minutes had run out, it was 24-7 and after the first series of the 3rd quarter, the game was essentially over and we were headed to Super Bowl LII.
June 13, 20205 yr 5 minutes ago, VaBeach_Eagle said: I have Doug's book (audio book), and he says in it that he watched the AFCCG and was yelling at the screen as the final minute or so was running out. So I'm quite sure that in the final 2 minutes, Doug (Pederson) was thinking of how the Jags screwed the pooch in their game. At the 2 minute warning, our score was 14-7. By the time those 2 minutes had run out, it was 24-7 and after the first series of the 3rd quarter, the game was essentially over and we were headed to Super Bowl LII. I think I was nervous until the TD bomb to Jeffery. After that, I felt good it was our day.
June 13, 20205 yr Author 15 minutes ago, EagleJoe8 said: I think I was nervous until the TD bomb to Jeffery. After that, I felt good it was our day. I watched it so many times, that I honestly don't remember at what point that I knew it was ours. I want to say after the Robinson INT, but that could just be because of watching it so many times lol.
June 13, 20205 yr 5 hours ago, EagleJoe8 said: I think I was nervous until the TD bomb to Jeffery. After that, I felt good it was our day. 5 hours ago, VaBeach_Eagle said: I watched it so many times, that I honestly don't remember at what point that I knew it was ours. I want to say after the Robinson INT, but that could just be because of watching it so many times lol. For me the PRob interception definitely shook the Vikings, but they got their heads back together and it was a hard fought game in the second quarter. There were 3 plays in relatively quick succession that finished the Vikings for me and turned it into a rout. 1) Barnett strips Keenum. The Vikings were moving the ball and had a 3rd down around our 20. Looked like they would get at least 3 and possibly tie the game. Keenum seemingly had a man open, but before he could unload, Barnett stripped him and Chris Long came up with the recovery. 2) Just after the 2 minute warning the Eagles face a 3rd and 6. Vikes bring pressure and Foles unloads it quickly to Clement. Anthony Barr has him in his sights, but Clement makes a move and gets a key first down. If Barr makes that tackle, Eagles have to punt it back and Keenum can relax a bit about his second turnover. 3) The Foles bomb to Jeffery. The Vikes are still applying pressure. It seems they have Foles for a sack on 3rd and 10. Foles evades the pressure and launches off balance to a wide open Jeffery. That for me was the final nail in the Vikings coffin. They looked done after that and Foles didn't miss another pass all game.
June 14, 20205 yr I actually felt a lot better going in against the Vikings than I did the week before against the Falcons.
June 15, 20205 yr On 6/13/2020 at 7:14 PM, ManchesterEagle said: For me the PRob interception definitely shook the Vikings, but they got their heads back together and it was a hard fought game in the second quarter. There were 3 plays in relatively quick succession that finished the Vikings for me and turned it into a rout. 1) Barnett strips Keenum. The Vikings were moving the ball and had a 3rd down around our 20. Looked like they would get at least 3 and possibly tie the game. Keenum seemingly had a man open, but before he could unload, Barnett stripped him and Chris Long came up with the recovery. 2) Just after the 2 minute warning the Eagles face a 3rd and 6. Vikes bring pressure and Foles unloads it quickly to Clement. Anthony Barr has him in his sights, but Clement makes a move and gets a key first down. If Barr makes that tackle, Eagles have to punt it back and Keenum can relax a bit about his second turnover. 3) The Foles bomb to Jeffery. The Vikes are still applying pressure. It seems they have Foles for a sack on 3rd and 10. Foles evades the pressure and launches off balance to a wide open Jeffery. That for me was the final nail in the Vikings coffin. They looked done after that and Foles didn't miss another pass all game. Thanks for covering down on this... I was definitely going to call out #1 and #3 as being the combo that was the actual nail in the coffin... I had forgotten Clements stiff-arm and spin on Barr was on that same post-fumble drive. #1 was huge. Kyle Rudolph was running free and clear to the back right of the end zone because of Diggs route underneath and where the deep safety was. If #89 for the Vikings had affected Barnett at all (get in front of him or push him out & up just a hair giving Kennum another .3 of a second or so to throw) then that is going to be a Vikings TD and tie the score at 14-14. as for #3... it could have easily gone south... Griffen actually gets two swipes at Nicks arm and misses with both. If on either one he simply gets an armful of jersey and pulls it would have been at least an incompletion... probably a sack or maybe a turnover by int or fumble. If Griffen had decided to do something other than bullrush V going straight into his chest, then the ball probably goes to Goeddert at the sticks on the left sideline for a first down at the 40 instead of the bomb TD to Jeffrey. For as much as the game got out hand right at the end of the 1st half, it was very much still in the balance until that sequence of plays.
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